BIMCO COVID 19 weekly report dated 10 September 2021
Overview
This BIMCO COVID 19 weekly report for the week ending 10 September covers updates on Republic of Korea, Pakistan, the UK P&I club and the latest from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Every week, BIMCO summarises measures imposed by governments for sea transport, including for crew change, as well as updates from United Nations bodies such as the IMO, World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO).
1. IMO
The below circulars represent the latest information to-date from the IMO.
- Addendum no.4/Rev.3 to IMO circular no. 4204, issued on 16 July 2021, providing a further update to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)'s guidance for ship operators relating to the protection of the health of seafarers.
- Addendum no. 35/rev. 7, issued on 20 May 2021, provides a consolidated list of the IMO members that have so far notified IMO on their designation of seafarers as key workers. The list is shown below:
2. IMO Crew Change - National Focal Point for Crew Change and Repatriation of Seafarers
As per our BIMCO news of 12th April, the IMO has discontinued the issue of the IMO circular in series: MSC.7/circ. 1 relating to government states informing the IMO of their national focal point for crew change and repatriation of seafarers. Instead, the IMO's online Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) will be used to contain such information.
According to GISIS today, the list of countries (45) informing the IMO of their national focal point of contact for crew change and repatriation of seafarers are: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Cook Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore (new), Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand , Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vanuatu.
Earlier reference of the MSC.7/circ.1 : our implementation page.
3. Government States
Korea, Republic of
The Ministry of Justice announced on 27 August that effective 1 September, the Korean Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) comes into full implementation where all visa-free foreign nationals eligible to travel to Republic of Korea will need to hold a K-ETA prior to entry. Application for a K-ETA should be made at least 24 hours before departure and on their K-ETA website. However, due to the current COVID-19 situation, K-ETA will only be available for nationals of 49 countries ( see item 2 of guidance note) and priority entry (business) persons from the 63 countries ( see item 3 of guidance note).Pakistan
With effect from 1 October 2021, only fully vaccinated passengers will be allowed to undertake international inbound travel/outbound travel from Pakistan. Currently this is not applicable. For full details, please refer to the Guidelines on air travel to/from/within Pakistan issued by the Pakistani civil aviation authorities dated 3 September 2021.
4. Others
Industry organisations
The UK P&I Club has issued version 1.24 of their comprehensive guide on crew changes covering updates on South Korea, Ukraine, India and France.
5. BIMCO
BIMCO General COVID-19 Links
BIMCO is continuously monitoring COVID-19 restrictions and its impact on the shipping industry in particular on crew changes. Below are some of the type of information currently being provided by BIMCO :
- Details about implementation measures imposed for sea transport
- Overview of challenges to crew mobility
- Overview of extensions and exceptions to seafarers' certificates
- COVID-19 seafarers' mental health
You can also view all information on our COVID-19 landing page.
Feedback or a question about this information?
Posted:
10 September 2021
VPS Bunker Alerts
Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) publish regular Bunker Alerts based entirely on fuel samples and have kindly permitted BIMCO’s Members to access this information.
The Bunker Alerts are not intended to be an evaluation of overall bunker quality in the port or area concerned, but usually highlight a specific parameter within the fuel which has raised a quality issue.
Latest ice reports for members
Latest piracy reports
Latest industry releasable threats
Related event
Crewing Think Tank at the Crew Connect Global Conference - Seatrade Maritime
- Manila,Philippines
- 11 November, 2024
Ashok Srinivasan, Regional Manager for South Asia & Technical Manager at BIMCO, will be speaking on a panel discussion featuring leading industry associa...
Related publication
COVID-19 posters for ships
BIMCO-made posters to protect seafarers and visitors onboard ships against Coronavirus (COVID-19). Black-and-white posters that can be easily printed and use...
ELSEWHERE ON BIMCO
Contracts & Clauses
All of BIMCO's most widely used contracts and clauses as well as advice on managing charters and business partners.
Learn about your cargo
For general guidance and information on cargo-related queries.
BIMCO Publications
Want to buy or download a BIMCO publication? Use the link to get access to the ballast water management guide, the ship master’s security manual and many other publications.
About a new business partner
We can help members check new business partners. We also help to recover millions of USD (undisputed) funds every year.
