Australia says it will no longer allow seafarers to serve longer than 11 months on board ships from next year, despite no signs of the Covid-19 pandemic abating.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the interim measures will no longer be allowed to stay in place from 28 February.
“Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) the normal maximum period that a seafarer can serve aboard a vessel without leave is 11 months,” it said.
“Due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions and border closures, AMSA has taken a pragmatic approach to compliance with this requirement.”
During the past six months, the AMSA said it has monitored the level of compliance and intervened to ensure the repatriation of seafarers whose durations on board were excessive.
General manager of operations Allan Schwartz said that while flexibility on the part of regulators was necessary when the pandemic began, keeping seafarers on board ships for longer than 11 months was “not sustainable going forward”.
“In our view there has been sufficient time for ship operators to adjust to the Covid-19 world and develop new plans for seafarer repatriation and crew changes,” he said.
“Seafarers have shouldered a heavy burden during the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining global trade and keeping our economies moving by delivering the vital supplies that we all need.”
Personal cost to the seafarers
But Schwartz said it has come at a “personal cost to the seafarers” who have spent longer on board ships, unable to take shore leave due to mandatory quarantine and separated from their friends and families.
“It’s time the seafarers are recognised for their efforts and we all make the effort to get them home on time,” he said.
Last month, Shipping Australia claimed that it is now “almost impossible” to carry out a crew change in Western Australia except Perth, under new rule changes.
Australia has detained at least five ships since June this year because of MLC-related deficiencies involving seafarers being found to have had expired employment agreements.
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said it welcomed the decision by Australia's maritime regulator.
ITF seafarers’ and inland navigation section coordinator, Fabrizio Barcellona, said that given the world had been dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic for more than eight months, regulators and the industry needed to “return to respecting the rights and welfare of seafarers”.
“It is unacceptable to continue to ignore the crew change humanitarian crisis and refuse seafarers the right to return home, to proper medical attention, or to relieve tired crew on ships,” he said.
“We should not, and cannot, tolerate situations like the Vega Dream arising, where AMSA allowed this ship to leave Australian waters despite cases of infected crew on board in urgent need of medical attention.”
“Port state controls need to get back to doing their job and upholding seafarers’ rights.”
