Unemployment support for Singaporean seafarers to be extended by 3 months

Singapore

SINGAPOREAN seafarers will receive financial support for an additional three months under the Seafarers Relief Package (SRP).

Those who are unable to secure shipboard employment between May 1 and Dec 31, 2020 are eligible for the SRP. The previous eligibility period for the SRP was between May 1 and July 31, 2020.

Under this reprieve, the initial cap of three months (up to S$2,400) will be extended to six months (up to S$4,800), said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU) and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen (SOS) in a joint statement on Friday.

Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat said in a statement: "Seafarers play a vital role in enabling global seaborne trade, and in keeping the supply of critical goods flowing. To enhance our safety net for Singaporean seafarers, we will extend the SRP to provide more help to those whose jobs are affected by Covid-19. We will also support seafarers to go for training and to upgrade their skills."

Cadet trainees under the Tripartite Nautical Training Award and Tripartite Engineering Training Award place-and-train programmes, together with other qualifying seafarers, have benefitted from the SRP as their shipboard attachments or employment were affected by the pandemic.

The SRP is part of the S$27 million MaritimeSG Together Package introduced in April 2020 to provide support to the maritime industry in the wake of the global Covid-19 outbreak.