Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Seafarers' Lounges in the Port of Singapore
The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore supports seafarer welfare as part of its role in managing Singapore's position as a major international maritime hub (MPA Singapore, n.d.). MPA, together with local seafarers' missions and the maritime unions, runs four seafarers' lounges in the Port of Singapore, at Pasir Panjang Terminal and Jurong Port. The lounges are inside the terminals for seafarers who do not have time to clear immigration and leave the terminal for shore leave. They offer free Wi-Fi, computers with internet access, telephones, transport, counseling services and a library. MPA also lists four seafarers' missions in Singapore, including the Mission to Seafarers, that carry out welfare services for seafarers.
ISWAN SeafarerHelp, accessible to seafarers calling at Singapore and globally, is a free, confidential, multilingual helpline for seafarers and their families, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (ISWAN, n.d.). The service complements the shore based lounges and seafarers' missions in Singapore.
Singapore gives effect to MLC 2006 through the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) Act 2014, which commenced on 1 April 2014 (Singapore, 2014).
Transferability
For other ASEAN ports, Singapore shows how a port authority can provide welfare facilities with seafarers' missions and maritime unions. Transferable elements include, among others, MLC 2006 ratification and implementation, lounges inside terminals for crews who cannot go ashore, run jointly with seafarers' missions and maritime unions, and signposting of helplines such as SeafarerHelp.
Sources
All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.