Oasis Circular No.: 2102

Date: Feb 8, 2021

Subject: Updated local policy for crew change in China

As a result of a spike of new COVID19 cases this January, China is taking stricter epidemic prevention and control measures amid higher risks of the epidemic before the Spring Festival Holidays which will commence on Feb 11, 2021. Following our earlier circular No. 2013 dated Nov 10, 2020 “Foreign Crew Change Procedures at Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian and Shanghai”, we have checked the current crew change policy at the major ports and hereby update as below for your reference:

Dalian

Foreign crew change

Foreign crew members are not allowed to sign on or off the vessel.

Chinese crew change

Chinese crew members with a negative NAT report issued within three days are allowed to sign on.

No sign-off of Chinese crew members is allowed unless for an emergency.

Qingdao

Foreign crew change

Foreign crew members who meet the requirement can disembark, but it is difficult to arrange for them to sign on.

Chinese crew change

Chinese crew members with a negative NAT report issued within three days are allowed to sign on.

Shanghai

Foreign crew change

All foreign crew have to wait for the results of the NAT test before they can be disembarked, so for container ships, usually there is not enough time to arrange the disembarkation without delaying the ship’s schedule; for bulk ships, their longer stay at port will make it relatively easier.

Chinese crew change

Chinese crew members with a negative NAT report issued within three days are allowed to sign on.

Chinese crew members on container ships can be disembarked without having to wait for the results of the NAT test, while those of bulk carriers still have to wait for the results of the NAT before they can be disembarked.

Tianjin

Foreign crew change

A ship can only sail after the departure of the crewmember who has been disembarked, so the crewmember's international flight should take off before the ship’s scheduled departure, otherwise the ship’s schedule would be affected. In addition, the voyage of the ship from the last foreign port to Tianjin should not be less than 21 days. Otherwise, an application should be submitted to the authority for special consideration.

The sign-on foreign crew member should have a valid negative nucleic acid report and enter China directly at Tianjin with quarantine for 21 days upon arrival.

Chinese crew change

The crew change of Chinese crew members are allowed in Tianjin.

Ningbo

Foreign crew change

No foreign crew change would be permitted unless for special reason which would be assessed and determined by the local authorities on a case-by-case basis.

Chinese crew change

The Chinese crew change in Ningbo is normal now. A negative NAT test result should be in place before they disembark the vessel and after disembarkation, they should be quarantined in the hotel for 14 days.

Xiamen, Fuzhou and Haikou

Foreign crew change

No foreign crew change is permitted unless for special reason which would be assessed and determined by the local authorities on a case-by-case basis.

Chinese crew change

The Chinese crew change is suspended during/around the Chinese New Year Festival holiday.

Shenzhen and Guangzhou

Foreign crew change

The sign-off of foreign crew can be arranged on the condition that:

a. the outbound international air ticket is available;

b. the crewmember has been in China for more than 14 days;

c. negative results from multiple nucleic acid tests during the 14 days;

d. the crew will be sent to the airport directly on basis of closed-loop control without local stay after disembarkation;

e. the approval of the application from the local authorities including the MSA, immigration office, Customs, port authority and etc. have been obtained.

The sign-on of foreign crew is unfeasible and no successful case has been heard of recently.

Chinese crew change

The Chinese crew change is normal in both of the ports now.

As a whole, crew change policies are now becoming stricter in all Chinese ports. For foreign sign-on crew members, it depends on whether they can get an invitation letter from the Foreign Affairs Office and as far as we know, there are very few successful cases of foreign crew signing on ships in Chinese ports recently.

As the epidemic situation in China develops and changes constantly, the crew change policy at each port may be adjusted accordingly. Owners who plan to change crew in China is strongly suggested to contact with their local agent in advance to learn the update policy and discuss the crew change issue.

We hope the above is of assistance. If there is any query, please feel free to contact us at oasis@oasispandi.com.

Best regards,

Oasis P&I Services Company Limited