Business

MPA updates requirements for vessels arriving at Singapore during Covid-19

Owners, agents and masters of vessels must ensure that all operations are carried out contactless or contactless with segregation protocol, states MPA.

Published

5 years ago

July 15, 2021

Admin

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Wednesday (14 July) issued Port Marine Circular No. 31 of 2021, superseding Port Marine Circular No. 21 of 2021 which updates requirements for vessels arriving at Singapore port during Covid-19:

Owners, agents and masters of vessels arriving in the Port of Singapore are reminded of their responsibility to implement and comply with all prevailing requirements and measures of the Singapore authorities to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Singapore, in particular safe management measures directly applicable to vessels in the Port of Singapore.

Owners, agents and masters of vessels must ensure that all operations (e.g. cargo operations, bunkering, ship’s supplies and stores, and other marine services) are carried out contactless or contactless with segregation protocol (see below).

a) Contactless operation means no boarding of the vessel by any person other than MPA-licensed harbour pilots, authorised government officers, and persons approved by the Port Master of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
b) Contactless operation with segregation protocol means that enhanced safe management measures must be implemented to minimise interaction between THE vessel’s crew and shore-based personnel.

Please refer to ANNEX A for details on contactless operations and contactless operations with segregation protocols.

The owner, agent or master of the vessel in port must establish and apply procedures and adequate controls to ensure the safety of shore-based personnel and the vessel’s crew. Please refer to ANNEX B for the requirements for shore-based personnel boarding vessels at anchorages, shipyards, terminals and marinas in the Port of Singapore. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in a breach of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Port) Regulations or the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

All vessel’s crew must comply with the following while in the Port of Singapore:

a) Wear a mask at all times (unless the work activity requires that no mask be worn);
b) As far as is reasonably practicable, keep a distance of at least one metre apart from each other;
c) Take and record temperature twice daily;
d) Observe good personal hygiene by washing hands regularly and refrain from touching face; and
e) Maintain good hygiene in the vessel’s accommodation areas by cleaning frequently touched surfaces (e.g. desk, chart tables, dining tables, bridge/engine room consoles, door handles, handholds, switches, telephones/VHF handsets, faucets).

If any of the vessel crew took COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at their last port of call, the owner, master or agent of the vessel shall ensure that the PCR test results are submitted to MPA before the vessel arrives in the Port of Singapore (see below):

a) If PCR tests were taken for crew change purposes, submit results to [email protected].
b) If PCR tests were taken for all other purposes, submit PCR test results to [email protected].

For queries related to the following matters please contact:

a) On Rostered Routine Testing and/or Antigen Rapid Test matters. Email [email protected] or call 1800-272-7777.
b) Clarification on this circular. Email [email protected] or call 6325-2488/2489.

Note: The full Port Marine Circular No. 31 of 2021 document can be downloaded in its entirety from the link here.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 15 July, 2021

Legal

Singapore withdraws remaining 127 charges against Hin Leong founder OK Lim

Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges on 17 July.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Founder of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading, Lim Oon Kuin, also known as OK Lim, has had the remaining 127 charges against him withdrawn, according to The Straits Times on Monday (20 July).

OK Lim was issued a stern warning and a district court granted him a discharge amounting to an acquittal for these charges, including those for cheating, on 17 July. The discharge means Lim cannot be prosecuted again for the same offences.

Lim, 84, is currently serving a 13½-year prison sentence after the High Court reduced his original 17½-year jail term in March 2026. He was convicted in 2024 on two cheating charges and one count of abetting forgery in a case prosecutors described as one of Singapore’s most serious trade finance frauds.

Lim was convicted in May 2024 of two charges of cheating the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and one count of abetting forgery that proceeded to trial out of a total of 130 criminal charges.

He was first charged in court on 14 August 2020, and was subsequently handed further charges in court on 25 September 2020, 30 April 2021 and 24 June 2021 for his role in perpetuating fraud on various financial institutions.

A total of 130 charges were eventually brought against him for cheating and forgery-related offences.

Photo credit: Sora Shimazaki
Published: 21 July, 2026

Winding up

Singapore: Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd to be wound up voluntarily

Coastal Logistics was reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

Several resolutions for Coastal Logistics Pte Ltd were made during an extraordinary general meeting held on 14 July, according to a notice in the Government Gazette on Friday (4 July).

The following resolutions were duly passed during the meeting:

As Special Resolution

That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the meeting that the Company cannot by reason of its liabilities continue its business and accordingly the Company be wound up voluntarily pursuant to Section 160(1)(b) of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (No. 40 of 2018);

As Ordinary Resolutions

that Mr. Wong Pheng Cheong Martin and Ms. Koay May Yee, both care of FTI Consulting (Singapore) Pte Ltd, One Raffles Quay, #27-10 South Tower, Singapore 048583 be appointed as the joint and several Liquidators of the Company for the purpose of such winding up; and
that the Liquidators be at liberty to open, maintain and operate any bank account(s) or account(s) for monies received by them as Liquidators with such bank(s) as they deem fit; and
that a Committee of Inspection will not be formed.

Manifold Times previously reported Nicholas James Gronow, director of Heng Tong Fuels & Shipping and Coastal Logistics, filed statutory declarations for both companies stating the firms cannot continue their businesses due to liabilities.

Both companies were reportedly affiliated with troubled Singapore bunker player Coastal Oil (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

In 2019, several vessels owned by both firms entered the sale & purchase (S&P) market in Singapore.

Photo credit: Drew Beamer
Published: 21 July, 2026

LNG Bunkering

PIL’s LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on LNG and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Published

15 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Admin

PIL's LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elok” arrives in Singapore on maiden call

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd on Monday (20 July) said its first 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel, Kota Elok, recently made her maiden call to Singapore on 15 July.

As the first of 13 new 13,000 TEU vessels joining its fleet, Kota Elok is equipped to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and low-sulphur fuel oil that helps reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

The vessel also incorporated energy-saving features and digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption and enhance operational performance, as well as a bow windshield to improve aerodynamics, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions over the course of long-haul voyages.

“Following Singapore, Kota Elok will continue her voyage on our East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route to South America, calling at ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina before returning to Asia,” the company said in a social media post.

Kota Elok also became PIL’s first vessel to receive Lloyd’s Register certification for compliance with the IACS UR E26 and UR E27 cyber security requirements.

Developed by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), UR E26 and UR E27 are mandatory cyber resilience requirements for newbuild vessels contracted from 1 July 2024.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 21 July, 2026