As part of efforts to combat Covid-19 and boost activities in its port against the pandemic, Singapore said it will be rolling out the Sea Crew Vaccination Initiative (SEAVAX) to allow eligible groups of non-resident foreign sea crew to be vaccinated.

In a statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Economic Development Board (EDB), Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said vaccinating sea crew will provide an additional layer of protection for onshore workers and passengers who may interact with them.

Singapore said to date, more than 90% of Singapore’s maritime workers and seafarers are fully vaccinated and 89% of the 7,500 resident seafarers working in Singapore’s port waters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 82% of them have been fully vaccinated. 

"As a major transhipment and bunkering hub in one of the world’s major shipping lanes, Singapore will play our part in the global initiative to vaccinate seafarers. Under the new SEAVAX initiative, eligible groups of non-resident foreign sea crew will be offered Covid-19 vaccination on a voluntary basis from 30 August 2021," the proponents added.

The said group would include:

(a) Sea crew in Singapore with stays of more than 30 days, who work on board homeported cruise ships, ships under repair in shipyards, and yachts at marinas used for events, cruises and private charter. 

(b) Sea crew who work on board fishing vessels, ship supply vessels and regional ferries which enter and leave our waters at least once a month.

Over the next few weeks, the MPA, EDB, SFA and STB will reach out to the companies involved to schedule the vaccinations.

"Sea crew are the backbone of global trade. Singapore continues to facilitate crew change to help sea crew who are still onboard vessels beyond their contract duration. Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, Singapore has facilitated more than 160,000 crew changes, both sign-on and sign-offs," it added.

MPA noted that as the lead of the Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund, the Singapore Shipping Association is also working on an industry proposal to vaccinate ocean-going seafarers when they sign-on to their vessels in Singapore, as part of the crew change process.