Hong Kong?Crew Change Policy Guidelines in Week 29?of 2022

Resurgence of the Pandemic in Hong Kong！Thousands of Patients Hospitalized, Hospital Authority: Worrying?

The fifth wave of the pandemic in Hong Kong continues to reoccur with more than 3,000 new confirmed cases for five consecutive days. Zhang Zhujun, Director of Infectious Diseases Division, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, HKSAR Government, reported on the afternoon of July 17th that as of midnight on the day, there were 1,313 new confirmed cases of nucleic acid testing and 2,000 new cases of positive rapid antigen testing by nucleic acid retesting in Hong Kong. There were 173 new imported cases. A total of 3486 new confirmed cases and 4 new deaths were reported throughout the day.?

The Chief Executive Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management) of the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, He Wanxia, said that the number of confirmed patients admitted to public hospitals had risen to 1,000. "There has been a very worrying increase in new hospital admissions." She said that HA would watch out for the hospitalization situation and step up the mobilization of isolation beds, manpower and adjustment services to ensure adequate facilities and manpower in public hospitals to care for confirmed patients.?

According to the epidemic map of the global intelligent ship service management platform E-PORTS, under the influence of the new round of Omicron epidemic, the policies of Hong?Kong?ports have been changed?17th February, 2022.

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*1. Are there any restrictions on vessels whose previous port call was from COVID -19 high risk countries? *

? Vessels which have visited the high-risk places (All countries except China & Taiwan) in 14 days before arriving Hong Kong,

Vessel permit for cargo operation only but crew change is not allowed.

? Vessels which have not visited the high-risk places (All countries except China & Taiwan) in 14 days before arriving Hong Kong,

Vessel permit for cargo operation and possible for crew change, subject to Marine Department approval

Vessel permit for shipping related services e.g., Bunkering, Husbandry service except crew change.

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2.1 Crew Change permitted?

? Yes, but subject to the following conditions.

a. Vessel to call Hong Kong with cargo operation

b. Vessel which has not visited high risk places (All countries except China & Taiwan) in 14 days before arriving Hong Kong.

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The crew members should carry out different operations according to different conditions when boarding from Hong Kong:

1. If you are a crew member of changing shifts to Hong Kong for cargo loading and unloading, you need to hold valid negative nucleic acid testing in 48 hours before boarding and accept throat swab collection when arrival by the temporary specimen collection center of the Hong Kong Department of Health and wait at the designated place until the test result is negative. And take point-to-point transportation to the ship through the designated quarantine channel;

2. If the scope of your activities 14 days before entering Hong Kong is Guangdong Province and Macao, you can make an appointment to enter Hong Kong through "easy to come to Hong Kong", and you can go on board and change crew without isolation;

3. If you enter Hong Kong from other cities in China, you need to conduct nucleic acid testing and obtain negative results 3 days before your arrival in Hong Kong, and accept 7 days of isolation and 7 days of self-health monitoring at the designated place after entering Hong Kong;

4. Non-exempt crew members from overseas to Hong Kong should show the approved vaccination record, 48-hour nucleic acid negative certificate and hotel reservation confirmation

5. In Taiwan, the crew members who go to Hong Kong to change crew will be vaccinated and quarantined for 7 or 14 days in the whole process, but if the antigen is negative, the isolation can be ended in advance. Those who have not been vaccinated in the whole process will need to be quarantined for 14 days.?

2.2 Shore leave permitted?

? No?

*3. Any other restrictions due to COVID - 19? *

? All incoming sea crew members of goods vessels coming to Hong Kong for cargo operation arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) must obtain a negative result of nucleic acid test for COVID-19 conducted at a recognized laboratory within 48 hours prior to boarding. Upon arrival to Hong Kong, they must also submit a deep throat saliva specimen at the DH’s TSCC and wait at the TSCC or other location designated by DH until their test results are confirmed negative. Sea crew members who fail to present any of the three required documentary proof: 1) a negative test report, 2) a letter of certification declared by the shipping companies/agents (that the crew member concerned has been tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid conducted at a recognized laboratory with the specimen collected within 48 hours prior to boarding the flight to Hong Kong, with an emergency local contact phone number for prompt contact with the concerned crew under emergency situation), and 3) an approval letter from the Marine Department, upon arrival will be subject to compulsory quarantine or refusal entry rendering them being not able to board the vessels.?

On E-PORTS platform, COVID-19 Global Port Restriction Map collects information of main ports in the world and releases authoritative and official announcements of various policy changes caused by the COVID-19. For more details about port restrictions and crew change information, please visit: https://www.e-ports.com/app/virusmap.html

Click on each country in the map to display the crew change policy for the country.

For more information on the port and crew change policy, please click 【Contact Local Agent】?for enquiries.