Crew changes during the Covid-19 crisis have been complex and time-consuming, says a leader in the process.

But it is getting easier as more countries come on board.

“It’s a puzzle, and it’s difficult to put together all the pieces to make sure it all comes together,” Natasa Pilides, Cyprus' shipping deputy minister, told TradeWinds.

The shipping ministry has expended a lot of time and energy liaising with embassies and countries to overcome bureaucracy since April, when it began working on crew changes on a case-by-case basis.

Cyprus quickly recognised seafarers as key transport workers, and just as quickly concluded it needed to introduce special provisions.

“The simplest thing is to give approval or facilitate from our side," Pilides said. "The difficulties come from other countries not accepting Schengen [short-stay European Union] visas, or not accepting third-country nationals into their country — even if it is just for a transit flight. All sorts of things come up.”

Regulatory responses are constantly changing as different countries are hit by rising contagion rates or relax their rules as rates fall.

“I understand it is a great concern," Pilides said. "I can see why people are being strict about things that appear to be low risk, but I think that is going to change soon because countries are realising they cannot stay in lockdown forever.”

Risk assessments

Pilides acknowledged that relaxing the rules is a risk, but Cyprus’ experience has been that shipping companies are being careful — and its rules covering health monitoring, self-isolation and virus testing have made it possible to make crew changes without a single positive case of Covid-19.

Cyprus introduced a first wave of operational measures to aid crew changes in May, and has been able to relax some of them as virus cases have fallen.

Its first action was to allow crew changes only if precautionary measures were taken to test before travelling by plane, and care was taken transporting crew to and from hotels and ships in Cyprus.

Later, it made it possible to disembark and stay in Cyprus, dependent on risk profile. Crew could disembark straight away if leaving vessels, or disembark and do a Covid-19 test, waiting for a negative result before leaving self-isolation.

Complex process is working reasonably well

Cyprus is looking to restart its tourism industry. Photo: Goodfreephotos

Tests are getting quicker to process, in hours rather than days, and can now be done in the country of departure. Crew members coming from low-risk countries do not need to be tested if they have not been in a high-risk area for 14 days, while medium and high-risk arrivals have to stay in isolation until results are available.

Cyprus has also been organising repatriation flights with airlines to major hubs. Pilides said the complex process has worked reasonably well.

“We did have some problems if people at a specific airport had not been informed or were not accepting our documentation as valid,” she said.

Cyprus has worked with those immigration authorities, and arrangements have become easier as they understand and accept them.

Tonnage tax revised

During the pandemic, Cyprus' parliament has voted in a new tonnage tax law that will provide up to 30% discounts for environmentally friendly vessels, and wider eligibility of vessels.

No changes were made to chartering or shipmanagement regulations, other than to come into line with EU rules on bareboat chartering that mean if more than 50% of a fleet is fixed out bareboat over three years, the ships will not be eligible for tax breaks.

Cyprus is now accepting passengers from pleasure craft under similar conditions to crew and, from 20 June, it has been making the same allowance for visiting cruiseships.

Comprehensive guide

“We have been working on a comprehensive guide to safety measures for companies wanting to make cruise calls in Cyprus,” Pilides said.

It has not yet had any requests, even though several cruiseships are at anchorage and have made crew changes in the Mediterranean island nation.

A return to cruise travel will require neighbouring countries to implement similar measures and for there to be an appetite for the holidays, she added. The Ministry of Tourism is in discussions with other governments in the region over the first element.

Pilides said its efforts have seen a high level of demand from across the shipping industry, with many companies that have not previously had a reason to make port calls in Cyprus coming to the island.

Several other countries are now implementing similar measures, and Pilides hopes the situation will improve globally.

“It is really important for all countries to work together, because we have seen how difficult it is for the seafarers," Pilides said. "Some have been stuck on a ship for more than a year and can be in a bad psychological state.”

Coronavirus adds to digital push

Covid-19 has proved Cyprus’ ability to work online, but it has also sped up a process of improving digital systems.

“We are already doing a couple of tenders to upgrade some of our systems,” Natasa Pilides, Cyprus' shipping deputy minister, said — and an online ship registration system is largely completed.

“But we are in the process of consultation with our stakeholders and companies based here in Cyprus to see how they like the system before we roll it out.

“We are also upgrading our online seafarers’ administration system, which has been running for a few years now. We want to introduce some new technologies into it to make it easier for the user.”

Cyprus is looking to introduce a new port state system for owners to be able to undergo surveys remotely. Extensions of up to three months have been allowed, and remote surveys accepted where possible and done by recognised organisations.

Seafarer certification of competency, proficiency and medical fitness is available for extension up to 1 September, as well as identification and service record books. Cyprus will endorse certificates where other relevant countries agree.

Allowances to defer tonnage tax payment and annual registry maintenance fees have been made, and the Ministry of Finance has agreed to a deferral of existing loan interest payments for up to nine months. Provisions for new loans are on the way.