Days after saying that it would take additional steps to
control the spread of the coronavirus, Singapore officials confirmed a new
cluster tied to one of the port’s bunker vessels. The bunker vessel, the
NewOcean 6, operated by Palmstone Tankers & Trading has been placed in
quarantine.
Announcing the actions taken to contain this cluster, the
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that all operations aboard
the vessel were suspended. “The vessel will need to review all its procedures
before it is allowed to resume operations,” the statement said.
"As of Jan 5, 2021, there are nine identified COVID-19
cases connected to a bunker tanker NewOcean 6," said MPA. The first
confirmed case was an Indonesian crew member who began experiencing symptoms on
December 23 and tested positive on December 30.
The day after the first positive test, the remaining 13 crew
members aboard the bunker ship were all placed into quarantine. The Ministry of
Health reports that seven additional Indonesian crew members began testing
positive for the virus at the beginning of this week. Also, a Singaporean crew
member who was the vessel’s cargo officer certifying bunker deliveries also
tested positive for Covid-19. The Ministry of Health reported that the
55-year-old Singaporean man worked onboard the NewOcean 6 from December 21 to
23, and again from December 28 to January 2.
Singapore’s health authorities stressed that all of the
quarantine protocols had been followed for the crew change aboard the bunker
vessel. They could not identify the source of the virus. The 47-year-old
Indonesian arrived in Singapore on December 17, after going through a 14-day
quarantine in Indonesia, as per MPA regulations. He reportedly tested negative on December 1,
16, and 17 and only then was permitted to join the bunker vessel’s crew.
At the beginning of the week, Singapore announced it was
cracking down on enforcement efforts after a class surveyor, who was employed
inspecting vessels at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard, tested positive. That
resulted in a cluster at the yard that also spread to the families of the
individuals.
The Ministry of Health also announced new travel
restrictions and limits on crew changes in Singapore. People coming from or
having visited South Africa in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter or
transit through Singapore. A similar border restriction was also imposed on
travelers from the United Kingdom. Included in these restrictions are crew with
a recent travel history to the UK or South Africa within the last 14 days
preceding arrival to Singapore. This includes sign-on crew traveling to
Singapore by flight as well as sign-off crew from vessels that have called at
these countries.