INTERIM COVID-19 arrangements permitting seafarers to serve longer than eleven months on board ships will end from 28 February next year, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority says.

Under the Maritime Labour Convention, the normal maximum period a seafarer can serve aboard a vessel without leave is eleven months.

During the past six months, AMSA has monitored the level of compliance and intervened to ensure the repatriation of seafarers whose duration on board were excessive.

General manager of operations Allan Schwartz said while flexibility was necessary when the COVID-19 pandemic began, keeping seafarers on board ships for longer than 11 months was unsustainable.

“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,” Mr Schwartz said.

“Seafarers have shouldered a heavy burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining global trade and our keeping our economies moving by delivering the vital supplies that we all need,” he said.

“But it has come at a personal cost to the seafarers who have spent longer onboard 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.”

Maritime Industry Australia CEO Teresa Lloyd said crew change was “exceptionally difficult right now however we support the tough line AMSA is taking to hold owners to account where crew are well over contract”.

“The move by AMSA to wind back the flexibilities they have had in place is not unexpected but we will monitor the situation carefully to see how reasonable it is,” Ms Lloyd said.

“Australia is not doing enough to facilitate crew changes happening here and shows little sign of that changing,” she said.

“Pushing that burden onto other nations where COVID is still crippling and at the same time removing what could be necessary flexibilities for owners, if other nations close borders again, could be a recipe for disaster.”

Ms Lloyd said Australia needed a coordinated, practical, consistent crew change plan for the entire country.

“Then there is no excuse for not getting crew changes done and AMSA can absolutely implement pre-COVID standards without any issue,” she said.