Singapore-based Energy Drilling Management is first to complete pilot test of ICC AOKpass app for 10 offshore crew members' entry into Thailand.
The successful pilot test of the ICC AOKpass for 10 offshore drilling workers' travel passage between Singapore and Thailand is bringing promise that the Covid-19 blockchain health app could be on its way to wider use as the world seeks a safe return to travel.
Following the pilot launch of ICC AOKpass in May, Singapore company Energy Drilling Management worked with International SOS to test the app for a 10-strong crew needing to travel aboard an oil rig vessel to conduct drilling services for their Thailand-based client, PTT Exploration and Production.
All 10 personnel first had to undergo a PCR swab test and the medical results verified by a doctor before being saved on the crew’s individual AOKpass app and sent to the client in Thailand ahead of their journey.
Using these results, International SOS worked with Energy Drilling and PTTEP to facilitate a smooth entry to the Songkhla Port Authority when they arrived in Thailand. The request was approved with ease, according to International SOS, as it provided the assurance to the authorities that the medical test results were from an accredited source and have been authenticated via the AOKpass app.
Juliana Gim, managing director of International SOS Singapore, believes that the pilot project offers an exciting look at how travel can resume against the backdrop of Covid-19. “The successful pilot of ICC AOKpass with Energy Drilling is encouraging as it marks an important step in our journey and the aim of implementing a trusted and standardised global system to facilitate the return to work across many industries. In time, we hope that this will see widespread adoption to facilitate a fast, safe and secure return to work.”
Dorjee Sun, AOKpass co-founder & CEO of blockchain provider Perlin, added: “Currently, there lacks a common technical standard for Digital Health Passports, which creates inefficiency as travellers will have to navigate many different processes and unnecessary duplication to have their health status verified.
"In contrast, the ICC AOKpass is an easy-to-use mobile app using a common global standard that can be deployed and used anywhere in the world today. It can adapt to the rules of any given country and allows users to instantly verify their Covid-19 compliance status anytime, anywhere,” Sun continued.
Similarly, Alex Maroske, Energy Drilling's head of quality, health, safety, environment said that the use of blockchain for data security and verification as well as the ability for individuals to control and carry around their own health records as "a breakthrough", and which will be a major enabler in allowing businesses to return to work.
Pilot testing of ICC AOKpass has also been successfully used with the Singapore-based employees of International SOS. The app provides employees and businesses with a substantially safer, more efficient and controlled path to the resumption of work alongside other social and health-based recovery efforts.
Once fully deployed, users can download the ICC AOKpass app to their mobile device and use it to securely store an authenticated digital copy of their Covid-19 compliance status certificate, as provided by their consulting medical professional.
To address privacy concerns, data entered into ICC AOKpass remains localised at all times within the user’s app and does not rely on centralised data records or external systems. Hardcopy certificates issued by medical professionals are digitised, authenticated and then made available for efficient verification by employers, authorities or any other third parties with no transfer or external storage of the underlying personal health information.