Singapore Updates Maritime Health Declaration Rules for Arriving Ships
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has issued Port Marine Circular No. 11 of 2026, dated 4 November, setting out the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) updated rules for the Maritime Declaration of Health (MDH) for ships arriving at the Port of Singapore. The rules took effect on 30 October and replace Port Marine Circular No. 03 of 2026.
A health declaration is now mandatory if any one of four conditions applies: the ship called at a listed location in the previous 21 days; crew or passengers travelled from a listed location in the previous 21 days; someone on board is suspected of having an infectious disease, or a person has died on board; or anyone on board is sick.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The list has 38 locations. According to reports, it includes Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Indian states of Kerala and West Bengal. The declaration must reach the NEA Port Health Office at least 12 hours before arrival, with crew and passenger lists, a valid Ship Sanitation Certificate, the last 10 ports of call and a list of anyone with a body temperature above 37.5°C.
NEA says failing to comply may breach Singapore’s Infectious Diseases (Quarantine) Regulations, and the list may be extended if the global health situation changes.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Crew joining from Kerala or West Bengal can trigger this declaration even if the ship itself never called there. Masters and ship agents should check crew travel history at every crew change before a Singapore call, and the circular itself should be checked on the MPA website for the full location list.
