Genco crew change under new Singapore protocols

(Posted on 15/06/20)

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited, the largest U.S. headquartered dry bulk shipowner focused on the

transportation of major and minor bulk commodities globally, announced the successful full crew

change of the Genco Liberty, a 180,032 DWT Capesize vessel, marking the first full crew change

under new COVID-19 protocols in Singapore. A total of 37 seafarers were involved in this crew

change, which was completed on June 6, 2020 and executed in accordance with protocols

established by Genco, Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and the Synergy Group.

John C. Wobensmith, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Amid the outbreak of COVID-19,

many individuals have been onboard oceangoing vessels in excess of the duration of their

contracts, keeping them away from their families. Port restrictions, difficulty arranging travel and

ensuring the health of the on-signing crew members have all posed unique challenges that have

prevented many shipowners from being able to undertake crew rotations in a safe and effective

manner. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we have worked diligently to promote the

health, safety and well-being of our crew and to find a solution to return these individuals to their

home country. For the Genco Liberty, we identified an opportunity to undertake a crew rotation in

Singapore, as many of the dedicated 21 crew members have been onboard this vessel for longer

than their original contract timeline due to COVID-19. We thank the MPA for their leadership and

collaboration efforts with Genco and the Synergy Group in establishing innovative protocols that

facilitated the first full crew change in Singapore since March and in making this industry led

engagement a possibility. We also thank our crew members for their perseverance and sacrifice

during such difficult times.”

The protocols developed by Genco, the MPA and the Synergy Group established quarantine and

repatriation procedures for seafarers to protect health and safety, taking into account factors such

as testing, the availability of personal protective equipment, travel and logistical issues, and the

safety of the local community.

These industry leading protocols include that all arriving crew members were quarantined for 14

days prior to boarding the vessel, receive personal protective equipment kits, and were

administered Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests prior to travel. Genco continues to work on

conducting crew changes where permissible by regulations of the ports and origin of the mariners,

in addition to strict protocols to safeguard our crews against COVID-19 exposure.

Captain Rajesh Unni, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Group, the Singapore-based

ship manager appointed to the Genco Liberty, commented, “At Synergy Group, we have been

working diligently to conduct crew changes since the outbreak of COVID-19 and we are grateful

to Genco for taking the lead together with the MPA and the Singaporean government. We would

like to continue to see more crew rotations occur globally as other countries can now look to the

successful Genco Liberty crew rotation as the blueprint to help return these seafarers to their

families.”

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited transports iron ore, coal, grain, steel products and other

drybulk cargoes along worldwide shipping routes. As of June 8, 2020, Genco Shipping & Trading

Limited’s fleet consists of 17 Capesize, six Ultramax, 20 Supramax and 10 Handysize vessels with

an aggregate capacity of approximately 4,837,000 dwt and an average age of 9.9 years.

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