Image

COVID-19 UPDATES

Get the latest travel measures for CREW TRAVEL in a snapshot.

Designed by Kyvernitis Group for its valued clients in the Maritime industry.

Updated on October 6th

PORT RESTRICTIONS ON VESSLES & CREW

PORT RESTRICTIONS ON VESSLES & CREW

We wish to share with you the most accurate online sources below:

  • On this worldwide map click on each port or country to view port restrictions on vessels and crew. Map will be updated up to 3 times per day. 
  • Get the latest COVID-19 Global Port Restrictions at this link here. 
  • Visit the WORLD PORTS INFORMATION PORTAL and get information from Q&A’s and latest updates on Crew Changes
CREW CHANGES UPDATE
  1. Crew Change Requirements for Panama, Australia and Malta.
    Please see the newest Crew Change Requirements for Panama.
    Please see also updated requirements for Australia and for Malta.
  2. New Crew Change Requirements for UAE Here.
  3. NEW Kiel Canal updates: from the 21st until the 25th of September, the big northern lock chamber at the eastern end of Kiel-Canal will be taken out of operation during regular working hours (0700 - 1600 hrs). 
  4. BEIRUT PORT: The government has announced Beirut Port as a stricken area and closed for 15 days as of August 4th.Vessels heading to Beirut are rerouted to Tripoli or Sidon ports. For more information: WSS Beirut
  5. Updated Crew Change Requirements for Singapore: Please see the newest Crew Change Requirements for Singapore (link).
  6. Belgium¨Covid-19 measures in the GNB Management Area - Scheldt ports - Belgian Coast Ports read more here
  7. Crew Change Requirements for Belgium and Netherlands: Please see the newest Crew Change Requirements for Belgium and Netherlands. If you want to see requirements for other countries where crew change is allowed, please click the link.
  8. Chinese Ports | Berthing delays for cape-size vessels at main iron ore ports in China. Read more here
  9. Please see the newest Crew Change Requirements for Dubai, UAE.
Flight Updates & Restrictions
  1. Indian Seafarers latest update: All Indian seafarers holding an Indian CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate) travelling from India to the UK and beyond are required to possess a clearance from the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India irrespective of the ticket issued in India or abroad. This clearance mentioned above are 2 forms called FORM I and EMIGRATE FORM.
  2. Passengers arriving at Manila airport are required to register online at least three (3) Days prior to their date of departure to arrange for the mandated COVID-19 swab test (RT-PCR) to be administered upon arrival.: For OFWs - https://e-cif.redcross.org.ph/  - For non-OFWs (Returning Overseas Filipinos, etc.) - https://bit.ly/3ffoAIK. Passengers arriving at Cebu, are required to register online not earlier than five (5) days prior to their flight departure via the Passenger Arrival Registration Form. Click on this link - Read full details at this link here.
  3. Singapore airlines offers 5 weekly flights to Manila: Singapore airlines gradually opens more flights to destination Manila (5/week) to Melbourne (every day) and to Sydney (9/week). Read full article here. 
  4. New PCR rules for DUBAI: PCR tests are no longer required for all passengers. It is only mandatory for those arriving from a specific list of countries or/and when the destination country requires it: Check full details here
  5. Travelers arriving to Saudi Arabia updates: Please find here the latest update from the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, regarding preventive measures for travelers arriving to Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  6. Gulf Air operates direct flights to BAH and DAC with immediate connection from /to Athens. More details here
  7. Latin America destinations re-opening to travelers: A number of countries have started re-opening: Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Salvador, Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Panama are all open to visitors. Also, Colombia is already accepting foreigners (no residency requirement needed). Please note that some countries require a negative test. For more details, please check Iberia’s interactive map here.
  8. Seamen travelling to Brazil: Passengers need to obtain the followings: a) a Health Insurance written in English or Portuguese, b) Needs to cover period of intended stay à period of cover must! be stated. C) Insurance coverage has  to be minimum of BRL30000,00 (aprox. USD5900).
  9. All passengers including seamen have to have an insurance for the total amount of days pax is in Brazil. This can be 1 or 2 day for seamen to any other amount of days.
  10. EMIRATES: COVID-19 Change and Refund Policy has been amended, kindly find it here.
  11. AIR FRANCE & KLM Fully flexible sales policy until 31 March: As of Sep 16th, if customers would like to cancel their trip, they can now change their ticket, at no extra cost and without proof, on the date and to the destination* of their choice. If they prefer not to rebook immediately, they can request a refundable voucher (EMD CDET). Customers then have the choice of buying a new ticket with the voucher or requesting a refund. More details here.
  12. TRANSITING VIA HONG KONG: Due to the pandemic, Hong Kong authorities have applied the following three (3) requirements for passengers transiting via HKG. Read the full news here.
    a) Passenger(s) must ensure onward journey with any interline partner is on same ticket and should be within 24hrs with a confirmation for final destination. Passengers with separate tickets will not be accepted; b) Passenger and baggage  must be Through Checked-In at the first point of Check-In to their final destination. Transit passengers cannot be Checked-in at HKG. c) Transferring / Transiting via Hong Kong to Mainland China is not allowed.
  13. TRANSIT TO HONG KONG: From 15 August until 11:59pm on 15 October, 2020, only the inbound passengers starting their journey in mainland China will be able to transit Hong Kong International Airport provided they meet given requirements, while Transiting to destinations in the Chinese mainland remains unavailable for all outbound passengers.
  14. CHINA: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Effectively immediately, all passengers travelling to CAN must provide a valid Covid PCR test stating that the passenger is negative. The certificate/test result should be within 48 hours prior to departure date. The certificate should also be issued by an authorised reliable entity.
  15. Travelling to Dubai on or after 1 August 2020 REQUUIRES A NEGATIVE COVID-19 TEST: From 1 August 2020 all passengers arriving in Dubai from any destination, including passengers connecting in Dubai, must have a negative COVID-19 test certificate to be accepted on the flight. The test must be taken a maximum of 96 hours before departure. This excludes children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability. Read more details at this link here. 
  16. Etihad Airways - COVID-19 PCR testing mandatory from 1 August 2020:  From 1 August, guests flying Etihad Airways from any worldwide airport outside of Abu Dhabi to all destinations, must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test. The test must be carried out 96 hours before arriving in Abu Dhabi. Guests travelling from Abu Dhabi to a European Union country or the United Kingdom, will also require a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test before they travel. Guests should always check travel regulations for their final destination before they fly at etihad.com/destinationguide. More information at this link here. Details about Approved Pure Health Facilities HERE.
  17. Starting from July 28st 2020, China Southern Airlines will add an additional weekly flight from Amsterdam to Guangzhou, operated by A380 (Every Tuesday & Every Friday).
  18. EGYPT AIR TO CAIRO: Kindly advise all passengers that effective 15/AUG/20 all passengers travelling to Cairo must have a negative PCR test 72 hours prior to their arrival.

Travel to Greece updates until OCTOBER 12th

Travel Measures for Entering Greece 
COUNTRIES THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO VISIT GREECE UNTIL OCTOBER 12th:
  • Flights from Turkey are suspended until 12.10.2020.
  • The flight ban from/to Barcelona is up until 12.10.2020 and as a consequence of the Greek Government decision, flights are being cancelled till 27.10.2020.
  • Passengers arriving from Albania and North Macedonia (Rep.)must arrive only at Athens airport (ATH).
  • Greece will ΝΟΤ open its borders for nationals for non-EU Citizens until September 30th (midnight), except for citizens from 11 countries. The countries that are excluded from the ban are: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates
  • Important Notes: 
    A) all passengers travelling on international flights to Greece are required to fill in and electronically submit the compulsory Passenger Locator Form (PLF) 24 hours before departure. The Form can be found in https://travel.gov.gr.
    B) All passengers are subject to medical screening and quarantine for 1 or 14 days if their test is positive.

For information on traveling to Greece in the post-Covid-19 era, press here.

Travel from Greece updates until OCTOBER 12th

COUNTRIES THAT IMPOSE QUARANTINE OR COVID TEST FOR ARRIVALS FROM GREECE:

Travelers out of Greece will be required to self-isolate for a given period after several European countries revised their travel restrictions due to a surge in Covid-19 infections this month. Please find at this link the list of designated clinics in Greece that offer Covid-19 RNA test service.

  • Netherlands: Travelers arriving to The Netherlands from all the Greek islands must self-isolate for 10 days as of Tuesday, September 8, according to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  • Wales: Travelers arriving to Wales from six Greek islands (Crete, Zakynthos, Mykonos, Lesvos, Paros and Antiparos) must self-isolate for 14 days as of Friday, September 4, according to a decision by the Welsh Government.
  • England: Travelers arriving to England from seven Greek islands (Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos) must self-isolate for 14 days as of 4am on Wednesday, September 9, according to UK Transport Secretary.
  • Ireland: All passengers arriving to Ireland from Greece are expected to self-isolate for 14 days on entry into the state.
  • Hungary: As of 01/09/2020, only Nationals or permanent residents of Hungary and their family members are allowed to enter the country. All individuals returning from abroad will have to be quarantined for 14 days or must conduct and present two (2) negative PCR tests in Hungary (2 days apart between them).
  • Scotland places Greece on Covid-19 Quarantine List. Starting at 4am on Thursday, September 3, travelers into Scotland from Greece will be required to quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
  • Estonia has already imposed a 14-day quarantine period for all travelers arriving from Greece, Cyprus, and Denmark.
  • Norway also announced a 14-day self-isolation requirement on Wednesday, applicable to all travelers out of Greece, the UK, Ireland, and Austria as of August 22.
  • Finland is set to allow only essential travel from Greece, Iceland, Malta, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Cyprus, San Marino, and Japan as of August 24, adding that arrivals from these countries will have to remain in quarantine for 10 days.
  • Egypt: EGYPTAIR announces that effective Tuesday September 1st 2020, passengers of all nationalities, including Egyptians, are required to provide negative PCR Test Certificate for COVID-19 , (in English language) issued not more than 72 hours prior to arrival to any of the Egyptian Airports.
  • Italy: Italy has ordered that coronavirus tests be conducted on travelers coming from Greece, Malta, Spain and Croatia.
  • Cyprus: Greeks traveling to Cyprus as of August 6 will be required to have undergone COVID-19 testing 72 hours prior to departure and produce a negative PCR result on arrival.
Traveling restrictions within EUROPE & THE BALKANS

Please note that many of the countries within Europe and require to fill in and electronically submit a compulsory Form (PLF ) 24 hours before departure. Please find below the travel restrictions and the relevant forms. For more details about each destination please use this IATA link here to get the latest travel restrictions / updates from IATA (Regulations Map*) or this link from the European Union.

TAKE A FLIGHT with SAFETY
  • Face masks are mandatory for all airline passengers and flight attendants
  • The use of mobile apps is encouraged
  • Passengers must maintain a distance of 1.5 meters from one another in the waiting areas
  • A special boarding process has been set up with passengers boarding in smaller groups, to avoid overcrowding
  • Access to the airport building is strictly for passengers, airline crew & airport staff. All transfer escorts will be waiting outside the building.
  • Immediately upon arrival at the airport, the aircraft cabin must undergo cleaning in accordance with an enhanced antiseptic program, before being allowed to continue flying.
  • Arrival at the airport in due time (3 hours ago)
  • Prepare for a thermal check at the airport
  • Passengers sign electronically a health statement before the boarding pass is issued
  • Reduce in-flight services to a minimum / Reduced food and beverage service
Air tickets cancellation policy update
AIR TICKETS CANCELLATION POLICY

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Regarding ticket cancellations, we would like to inform you that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines have changed their policy and have "paused" all refunds. Specifically, the cancellation process - refund - is now done via a written request to the airline and not automatically through the reservation system. Given the increased volume of requests, the processing of applications takes place within three (3) months. In summary, our company issues the invoices for all the requested air tickets and expects to be paid in full based on our agreement. As soon as our company is credited with the corresponding amount for each "ticket cancellation", the corresponding credit invoices will be forwarded to you.

Image
Why choose us

With the COVID-19 outbreak, ports and airlines are imposing various restrictions that make crew changes a difficult process. We are proud to inform you that we have repatriated from all over the world more than 700 seamen during the crisis of Covid-19. Since May (when the travel restriction for travelling to the Philippines took place) we have repatriated over 240 Philippene seamen. Kyvernitis Crew Travel department was the first one to have successfully managed crew changes in collaboration with many shipping companies.

Please take a look at the map below to see our success stories:
Repatriated Seamen
  • Philippines: 240
  • USA (Portland, Miami, NYC etc): 110
  • Tokyo: 45
  • Seoul: 78
  • Los Angeles: 53
  • Reunion: 78
  • San Francisco: 10
  • Copenhagen: 65
  • Las Palmas: 37
  • Marseille: 27
  • Houston: 34
  • Mexico: 22

* Please note: Restrictions, testing requirements, and mandatory quarantine measures are subject to change depending on how successful Covid-19 management/infection rates reported at airports of origin and according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidelines.

PLEASE NOTE that every two (2) weeks the news will be reviewed and the information updated. Please contact us at crewtravel@kyvernitis.gr if you have any further questions