The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has said crew changes will not be allowed for seafarers who have recently travelled to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The ban, which went into effect on 2 May, includes sign-on crew travelling to Singapore by aeroplane, as well as sign-off crew from vessels that have called at the four South Asian countries.
The ban also applies to sign-on crew transiting these countries on their connecting flights to Singapore.
The MPA said the prohibition of crew change in the Port of Singapore was in line with new policy from the country's Ministry of Health.
It announced that all long-term Singapore pass holders, and short-term visitors, who have travelled to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan in the last 14 days will not be allowed into the country, or to transit through, from the start of May.
Singapore has barred the entry of non-resident travellers from the four countries due to the recent sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.
Captain Rohit Banta, group director at Synergy Shipmanagement, said the crew ban will have some impact but “not that big per se as these are not the most frequented countries”.
Last month, Singapore blocked crew change for seafarers who have travelled from India after a dramatic increase in the country's Covid-19 infections and the emergence of new virus variants.
Blocking of crew changes is a major setback in attempts to alleviate the ongoing global crewing crisis, which is preventing about 200,000 seafarers from returning home due to travel and quarantine restrictions.
The Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates also does not allow the disembarkation of crew whose last port of call was India.
