New crew change protocol

The Cyprus Ministry of Transport has issued a new crew change protocol to be followed, as below:

Crew changes are allowed in the following categories of ships:

• Crew members of commercial ships
• Crew members that work on platforms that are currently conducting research drilling works within the exclusive economic zones of countries that the Republic of Cyprus has established diplomatic relations with
• Crew members of cruising ships that are currently laid-up
• Crew members of recreation ships

For a crew change to take place, the following rules apply:

• Those persons have to remain in self-isolation for 14 days before entering the Republic of Cyprus. The attached document will have to be completed as a confirmation of the above.
  They have to have taken the coronavirus molecular test before their arrival or –if this is not possible- immediately after their arrival and the result should be negative.
• The company that employs the said crews and/or the agent that has undertaken the crew change has to take the necessary action for the transportation of the crew directly from the ship to the airport and the transportation of crews arriving by plane to the port of departure under strict protection measures.
• If the arrival of the ship and the arrival of the flight cannot be synchronized, the company and/or the agent has to make the necessary arrangements in cooperation with the authorities for the accommodation of the crew in particular shelters where they are going to stay isolated until the arrival of the flight or the ship.
• If the results of the molecular tests are still pending, the company and/or the agent has to make the necessary arrangements in cooperation with the authorities for the accommodation of the crew in particular shelters where they are going to stay isolated until the announcement of the results.
• Whenever possible, the crew that is going to disembark shall remain on board until the date of the flight.
• Persons that work as crew members in ships that are docking at Cyprus ports and those persons are going to disembark from the ship in order to leave the Republic of Cyprus and the arrival of the ship cannot be synchronized with the arrival of the flight, the company and/or the agent has to make the necessary arrangements in cooperation with the authorities for the accommodation of the crew in particular places where they are going to stay isolated until the arrival of the flight.

Crew changes shall be realized with flights specifically chartered for this purpose either by the agent or the ship-owner and/or those organized by the Republic for the repatriation of Cypriot citizens in the event there is space available. Within the premises of the airport, all the safety and protection instructions have to be implemented. The use of a mask is compulsory while all the measures of hand sanitization will have to be implemented. Staff members in the airports and other people within the premises should keep the distance of 2 metres from each other. Transportation to the airport has to be completed within reasonable time as required by the instructions provided by the respective airline before the embarkation at the airport.

Crew members that are going to enter the port of the port facilities for reasons of embarkation/disembarkation to/from the ship will have to follow strict protection measures. The use of a mask is compulsory while all the measures of hand sanitization will have to be implemented. Staff members in ports and other people within the premises should keep the distance of 2 metres from each other. Transportation to the port has to be completed within short time in relation to the embarkation time and provided that the ship is due to the embarkation of the crew. Disembarkation shall take place only at the presence of the transportation vehicle which is going to transport the crew to the airport or to the designated shelter according to the case. Embarkation of new crew shall take place only after the previous crew has left, unless this cannot take place for security reasons. Any additional instructions provided by the manager of the port and the Cyprus Ports Authority as regulatory authority shall be strictly implemented.

Transportation from/to destination shall be conducted under strict rules. It shall be direct and no intermediate stops will be allowed. Disembarkation from the bus/shuttle is not allowed unless there is an emergency. The type of bus/shuttle chosen will depend upon the number of passengers and in relation with the rules in force implemented within the Republic.

When a coronavirus molecular test is deemed necessary during the arrival of the crew members in the Republic, the company and/or the agent shall make arrangements through a relative agreement with the laboratory and take all the necessary actions for the direct transportation of the crew to a laboratory where the molecular test is to take place before the crew is transported to the shelter. In the event that the use of specific shelters is deemed necessary, the company and/or the agent will have to provide the appropriate shelter and the relative arrangements should be made for the accommodation of the crew, where the crew members should stay in isolation for the time required according to each case. Expenses for the ticket, bus/shuttle, use of protective measures, molecular testing and crew members accommodation in shelters shall be covered by the company/agent.

Seafarers and crew members of vessels who are Cypriot nationals or permanent residents of the Republic and who arrive by vessels calling at the ports of the Republic may be transferred and remain within the Republic, subject to the following conditions:

• completed 14 days in self-quarantine and completed the Passenger Locator form
• must be subjected to a molecular test for COVID-19 upon disembarkation of the vessel
• until the outcome of the examination is obtained, those persons shall remain in quarantine
• if the persons are diagnosed positively with the COVID-19 disease, they shall remain under a compulsory isolation scheme (quarantine) and the medical protocol of the Ministry of Health shall be followed
• in order to carry out the molecular examinations, the procedure for transportation and restraint of the aforementioned persons, pending the outcome of the examinations, is as per the procedures laid down

For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Cyprus, contact GAC Cyprus at [email protected]