News & Events
News & Events
HS Connect 2
10-07-2020HS CONNECTS Bulletin No. 2
Good Day/
Seafarers staying on board for long contract periods require mental resilience. Every seafarer
has their own set of coping mechanisms to deal with feelings of anxiety, loneliness, helplessness
and depression.
We all have a state of mental health just as we have a state of physical health – and it can vary.
Reducing stigma and making mental health a subject that we are happy to talk about will help
us to find ways to positively improve our working environment, especially during these difficult
times.
All seafarers also should know that they are not alone during this pandemic and we will continue
to find ways to support all. With a continued focus on maintaining a healthy mind and body,
seafarers will keep themselves and others safe. It is vital to keep calm and stay strong, and
together, we will weather this storm.
On a concluding note, we are also pleased to announce the promotion of HS39 Third Officer,
Thuya Kyaw Tun to Second Officer for the next contract. Please join us in congratulating Kyaw
Tun on his well-deserved promotion.
Updates from Crew home countries (as at 8 July): (Extracted from
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/)
• China:
Coronavirus Cases: 83,572;
Total Deaths: 4,634;
Recovered: 78,548.
• Korea:
Coronavirus Cases: 13,181;
Total Deaths: 285;
Recovered: 11,914.
• Myanmar:
Coronavirus Cases: 316;
Total Deaths: 6;
Recovered: 245.
•Singapore:
Coronavirus Cases: 45,140;
Total Deaths: 26;
Recovered: 41,002.
•Indonesia:
Coronavirus Cases: 66,226;
Total Deaths: 3,309;
Recovered: 30,785.
Updates from ports of call:
• Singapore:
Crew change is allowed under the various special circumstances:
Crew completed employment contract;
Compassionate grounds (e.g. death of family member); or
Crew no longer medically fit to work on board the ship; and many others.
• Fujairah - UAE:
All crew change is suspended till further notice.
• Dubai - UAE:
Crew change is expected to start from 15 July.
• Panama:
Local authorities are expected to release the suspension of commercial flights
from 22 July onwards. We have also checked with various travelling agencies that
no flights are available till end July.
• Korea:
Crew change is allowed, but it is subject to visa availability and local authorities’
quarantine procedures.
• China:
Crew change is allowed for Chinese nationals only.
• Abidjan:
Local authorities have released the suspension of commercial flights from 1 July,
and we are currently awaiting for more information from the airline companies
on the restarting of commercial operations.
• Honolulu:
Crew change can be arranged but no international flights are currently available.
The flights are expected to resume in August.
Fun Facts about Panama
1. In Panama, you can swim in the Atlantic Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean in the same day.
2. There are more than 1,500 islands in Panama.
3. Panama City is home to the second largest rainforest
in the Western Hemisphere — the only capital in the
world to boast a rainforest within the city limits.
Crew Change Plan and Updates
We will continue to monitor the various travel restrictions at all relevant ports closely. We hope
to perform crew change for vessels calling port in Singapore and China in the near future.
We wish to highlight that there has been cases of other vessels contracting the virus during
such crew changes.
We continue to liaise closely with the respective crewing agents, relevant embassies on relief
flights availabilities and commercial flight availabilities. This is also subject to authorities’
approvals.
Crew Welfare
During this unprecedented pandemic situation, Management has approved and will provide
the additional food budget per port call*. Details will be shared with the respective masters on
board.
Please share the information to all crews and explain to the crews about the situation to be
patient.