Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Calls by International Maritime Organisation to Provide Vaccination Services for Foreign Seafarers

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport as the Government seeks to support the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s call to provide vaccination services for foreign seafarers 

a.     whether such vaccination will be provided to both foreign crew arriving in Singapore onboard the vessels they are serving as well as crew members flying to Singapore for crew change; and 

b.     whether Singapore will consider also allowing vaccination services directly onboard visiting vessels.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     As a major transhipment hub port and international maritime centre, Singapore strongly supports the International Maritime Organization’s efforts to set up a global network of seaports to facilitate the vaccination of international sea crew. This initiative provides additional protection for seafarers against the virus, reduces the risk of exposure for port workers working on board vessels in our port, and enhances global supply chain resilience.

2.     The Singapore Shipping Association, PSA, maritime unions and MPA are working out the necessary protocols for seafarers to receive their vaccinations as part of the crew change process when they sign on to their vessels at the port of Singapore. This approach minimises public health risks as seafarers undergo stringent pre-arrival isolation and testing under our crew change process. We also reduce the risk exposure for our healthcare professionals, as they would not need to board visiting vessels. It is therefore more prudent to start with this arrangement, before reviewing how we can extend to other categories of international seafarers.