Germany has reduced the strict requirements that existed for hiring maritime personnel. According to an amendment to the "Navigation Security Supply Regulation," shipowners can now employ non-EU and European Economic Area captains and officers, provided that certain conditions are met.
New Hiring Conditions
Under the new regulations, German-flagged ships, which previously generally required a EU/EEA nationality for captains, can now also employ non-EU captains and officers. Additionally, for ships with a capacity of 8000 tons and above, the presence of an officer from the EU/EEA remains mandatory.
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This change has been specifically made to address the shortage of maritime officers and to make the German flag more competitive internationally. Shipowners must demonstrate that no suitable candidates from the EU are available and that they cannot promote personnel internally. They must also create two maritime training positions for each EU/EEA officer being replaced.
Approval Duration and Additional Conditions
Approval is granted to shipping companies and not to individual ships. This approval is initially granted for six months and can be extended for up to five years if the required training positions are created. Officers from third countries who hold EU qualification certificates have a simpler path to approval, requiring only a German certification and completion of a German maritime law course.
Currently, the German flag encompasses nearly 395 commercial vessels with a capacity of 100 tons and above, and Germany's broader commercial fleet includes over 1400 ships. The German Shipowners' Association had previously pointed to the scale of flagging out by domestic owners. Thus, these regulations simultaneously address two issues: access to an increasing international pool of officers and a long-standing effort to persuade German owners to keep their ships under their national flag.
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