SINGAPORE - All 825 harbour craft personnel who were onboard 98 harbour craft that had performed crew change between Dec 17 and Jan 13 have tested negative for Covid-19.
The testing operation, which began on Jan 27 and ended on Feb 5, was an added precaution for the crew, noted the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (Feb 9).
The move came after the NewOcean 6 bunker tanker formed a new Covid-19 cluster on Jan 6.
The MPA said in January that the vessel, which is operated by Palmstone Tankers & Trading, was quarantined and would cease all operations until further notice.
Bunker tankers provide essential marine services such as refuelling ships that call at the port. A harbour craft is any kind of vessel that operates only within the waters of Singapore.
The MPA enhanced the crew change regime for harbour craft on Jan 25. Sign-on crew from overseas now undergo a 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) in a dedicated facility here with tests at the start and end of the SHN.
Crew members must also provide two negative Covid-19 tests on the first and last days of a five-day SHN in their country of origin.
