Port of Cebu activates crew change hub

The Department of Transportation on Saturday confirmed the activation of the crew change hub at the Port of Cebu.

In a press statement, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Maritime Narciso Vingson said the hub's activation was a fruit of several consultative meetings with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for Crew Change, Regional Task Force Central Visayas (RTF-7), and the Cebu Provincial and Local Government Units, the crew change protocol of Cebu has been approved.

“Cebu is a strategic location for crew change, as it is at the heart of the Visayas. Its port can now begin to facilitate the process for arriving and departing seafarers coming to and from the Visayas,” Vingson said.

For his part, Office for Transportation Security (OTS) and One-Stop Shop (OSS) Head Raul Del Rosario said that the OSS Cebu has been organized, with the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) as lead and Secretariat.

“We have established the OSS here in Cebu Port, with the CPA as lead and Secretariat, so that seafarers can undergo a smooth flow of processing, especially in terms of ensuring their health. Mahalaga ho itong OSS upang mas mapabilis at ligtas na makauwi ang mga marino, lalo na ang ating mga kababayang matagal nang nasa laot at sabik na makapiling ang kanilang mga mahal sa buhay,” said Usec. Del Rosario.

CPA's General Manager Leonilo Miole said the Port of Cebu will now start receiving requests for crew change from both domestic and foreign-registered vessels.

The crew change hub will serve:

• Filipino seafarers joining a ship docked in the Philippines for overseas (outbound),
• Filipino seafarers leaving a ship (inbound),
• Foreign seafarers joining a ship docked in the port from an airport (airport to ship), and
• Foreign seafarers leaving a ship docked in the port to an airport (ship to airport).

GM Miole has assured the public that safety protocols are already in place to avoid any possible transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019  (COVID-19) during crew change operations.

Crew change hubs in the country will primarily benefit seafarers who are stranded onboard ships with expired contracts due to imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

Aside from the Port of Cebu, the Philippines also operates crew change hubs at the Port of Manila, the Port of Capinpin in Bataan, and at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Meanwhile, the ports in Batangas and Davao are waiting for the activation of their respective crew change hubs, the statement said. —LBG, GMA News