7/16 – Ship's manning
Instead of 4 EU ship officers, only 1 EU ship officer is required on larger German-flagged ships; the ship's mechanic is not mandatory anymore.
Since 1 July 2016, only the master and one ship officer are required to be EU citizens on larger merchant ships flying the German Flag. Previously, ships over 8,000 GT were required to have up to four EU ship officers.
In addition, the previous requirement to have a ship’s mechanic on board merchant ships flying the German Flag has been eliminated. On behalf of its member companies, the German Shipowners’ Association has committed not to challenge existing, non-terminated, permanent employment contracts of ship’s mechanics and to continue providing apprenticeship positions for ship’s mechanics.
The change is part of a package of measures aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the German Flag.
