The Port of Fujairah has joined Singapore in blocking crew changes for seafarers who have travelled from India after a dramatic increase in the country's Covid-19 infections.
The move is a major setback in attempts to alleviate the crew crisis, which is preventing about 200,000 seafarers from returning home due to travel and quarantine restrictions.
Ship agency GAC, in its advisory Hot Port News, said: “Fujairah immigration has verbally advised us that with immediate effect, if a vessel’s last port of call is India, signing-off crew are not allowed to disembark at Fujairah. This applies for all nationals.”
Fujairah is a major crew-change port while India is the shipping industry’s second largest labour supply country.
In August last year, Fujairah announced a major breakthrough when it announced it was reopening for crew changes after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just last week, the shipping industry was shaken when another major crew-change location, Singapore, also announced a ban on crew change for arrivals from India.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that crew with recent travel history to India in the last 14 days would not be allowed in the Port of Singapore.
There is increasing concern now that other major crew change ports may follow as the spread of the coronavirus in India worsens.
