The coronavirus pandemic has pushed back Executive Ship Management's business plans by two to three years, said its managing director S.P. Singh.

The firm's scheduled growth path has been disrupted even as the company prepares for when the economy rebounds post-Covid-19, he added. Executive Ship Management has more than 160 employees in Singapore.

Ship management does face a cascading effect from the global fallout, especially with the increase in operational costs, among others, Mr Singh said. "The industry has been hit by the economic fallout. However, as an essential service, shipping has managed to continue the global trade to the great relief of the nations at large."

The company is coping well with "the new normal" though it is not business as usual, said Mr Singh. He added that "the management has been able to ensure health and safety as a priority".

Executive Ship Management provides trained crew as well as technical management services to ship owners, among other services. It also owns and operates offshore ships.

Slower growth in the industry, crew relief, logistical support - such as supply of provisions, stores and spares - as well as ship maintenance are among some of the challenging issues the company faces amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Singh noted that shipping had continued without many issues in the earlier months of this year but "slowly the symptoms (worsened)... with the crew getting locked down on board, far exceeding their contracts".

The firm worked with other shipping companies and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore to send 87 ship crew members back to India on a chartered plane in June.

The crew members had been working on board ships when Covid-19 caused borders to close. Ship crew could not disembark to go home, though their contracts had ended.

Mr Singh said that the industry has been arranging repatriation flights for seafarers but more needs to be done, given the high number of affected crew members.

Coordinating with the different authorities for numerous approvals and permissions required for foreign nationals to enter countries has been a daunting and challenging task, he added.

His company has a programme to keep its "crew engaged and keep them motivated in order to continue to operate the ships safely", he added.

It is also working to ensure that ship maintenance services and logistical support remain available despite disruptions in the supply of provisions and that fact that stores have been affected.

"We are in constant touch with the regulatory authorities to identify the best ways to resolve these situations with remote audits and troubleshooting, especially when they are unable to board the ships due to local rules and restrictions," Mr Singh said.