Forging Ahead - Singapore Shipping Association

Ship Operations & Port Services
Sub-Committee
The Ship Operations Sub-Committee is chaired by
Capt Chak Kwok Wai of NYK Group South Asia Pte
Ltd. The Sub-Committee works closely with the MPA,
terminal operators and service providers to overcome
any problems associated with ship operations and
port services in Singapore.
➥ Pilotage Performance Update
The challenge to provide effi cient pilotage services
to all ships calling at the Singapore Port was
seriously addressed by the Sub-Committee with
the pilot service provider, PSA Marine and the
MPA. This culminated in the implementation of
the New Pilotage Procedures by PSA Marine on
1 August 2008.
Under the new procedures, all orders for pilotage
services should be placed 4 hours before the Service
Requested Time (SRT), after which a Confi rmed
Service Time (CST) will be given by the pilot offi ce.
Further to this new procedure, PSA Marine has
also increased the number of pilots from 154 in
September 2008 to 196 by end of May 2009.
Nonetheless, while PSA Marine acknowledged
that it remains a challenge to have a 100%
match between the CST and SRT due to factors
such as limited anchorages, ships bunching
and environmental constraints, PSA Marine
further affi rmed its commitment to achieve a
performance level of about 90% match between
the SRT and CST.
S SS23
S
A
SS
➥ Work Permits for Foreign Seafarers
Concerns were expressed by some government
agencies that seafarers from a particular nontraditional
source and who require work permits
to work in Singapore have exceeded the national
quota. Work permit applications for new
recruits from this source to work in the harbour
craft industry therefore became increasingly
diffi cult and much to the inconvenience of the
operators because they were badly affected
by the availability of crew to operate their
newbuildings and for their routine replacements.
Some companies were
apparently found to
have abused the system
by engaging many of
these foreign workers
for non – seafaring
jobs, such as dredging
and other shore–based
installations.
The SSA worked closely with MPA and the
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to explore ways to
ease the situation. The following understanding
was reached with MOM and MPA:
One-to-One replacement for existing crafts
will be approved by MOM.
Work permit applications for new SB tankers
and tugs, if endorsed by MPA, will also be
approved by MOM.
Additional crew for training requirements, if
the demand is reasonable, will be endorsed by
MPA and approved by MOM.