Crew change is the replacement of the one or more of a ship’s crew members with another one; the crew change must have been authorized by the captain of the ship.

Crew changes are done to ensure the safe operation of maritime trade and are essential in preventing fatigue and protecting seafarers health, safety and wellbeing.

Seafarers are often away at sea for up to 6 months or more at sea depending on the period stipulated by their contract usually followed by a period of leave. At sea, they work 10-12 hours per day every day and their tasks require constant professional attention. This makes it very essential to perform crew changes to keep the crew in good physical and mental condition.

Spending extended periods on a ship increases the risk of adverse health including physical and mental health issues, seafarers usually report exhaustion, fatigue, anxiety and mental stress ; and mental and physical stress increases the chances of a marine accident.

Crew changes are also important in order to adhere to international maritime regulations for safety, crew health and welfare and employment. The ILO’s 2006 maritime labour convention states that a seafarer should not serve on board a ship for more than 11 months consecutively without leave. This period can be extended in severe conditions like the one caused by the covid-19 epidemic where ships were denied access to ports around the world; these extensions must follow appropriate safeguards to avoid abuse of seafarers rights.

Crew changes can take place at berth, anchorage and off port limits.

Crewing

This is crew management for ships, they are services rendered by shipping companies who specialize in providing and changing crews for vessels. Crewing is an important aspect of maritime and ship management, it includes management of all the activities handled by the crew on board vessels as well as related shore based activities.

Companies that offer Crewing services are known as crew management companies or Crewing managers, they perform their services as commissioned by the ship owners, managers, operators, charterers under an agreed contract.

Crew Management companies take care of the human resources and manning of ships using a network of recruitment agencies based in seafarer sourcing locations. Their services include crew recruitment, deployment, scheduling, training and development. They also take care of ongoing management and administrative duties of the crew such as payroll, insurance, health schemes, travel arrangements etc. Crewing companies also have specialized crewing software, usually custom built to manage activities and Crewing related data like crew scheduling, industry certification and documentation, crew logistics, crew training and upgrading schedules, performance assessments, statistical analysis, feedback, invoicing etc.

Crew Change Services

Crew change services include meeting the crew at the pickup location (Airport, railway/bus station, sea port), taking care of their immigration and customs procedures, providing their visas on arrival if needed.

The crew’s meals are taken care of, hotel accommodation is arranged if needed and transporting them to the vessel.

At Hendiac Nigeria limited our crew change services are dependable and we guarantee smooth embarking and disembarking of crews from vessels. Our services are safe and secure; we collaborate with overseas crewing and owner offices to ensure all on-signers are aware of the Crewing requirements, we manage their visa applications and meet the arriving personnel with their visas.

We assist both incoming and outgoing crew members with immigration and customs formalities, provide reliable transportation for crew to their ultimate destination  and we provide clean and reputable hotel accommodation inspected ourselves to confirm the standard; We also arrange medical treatment and doctors visits for visiting crews.

We offer these services at a very competitive rate and our services are trusted by numerous vessel owners and operators.

Crew change in Nigeria

Crew Change Services are monitored by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in May they released a notice recognizing the duties of seafarers as essential to the Nigerian economy; the notice contained directives on ship crew changes and travel during the corona virus pandemic and the responsibilities of seafarers when joining and leaving a vessel as well as shipping companies and agents.

The notice granted seafarers passage to and from their respective vessels on crew change at anchorage, seaport, offshore, terminals and jetties.

The notice required ship owners, shipping companies, manning agents to develop their own company procedure for joining and signing off seafarers in line with national and international practices as prescribed for covid-19 by the presidential task force, NCDC, port health services and NIMASA.

It also requires companies to provide special and dedicated transportation for seafarers, the notice mandates that these means of transportation be fumigated and disinfected before and after being used.

The notice stipulates that foreign seafarers arriving Nigeria through the airport, anchorage or leaving a vessel at the anchorage, seaports terminal offshore platforms and jetties shall adhere to strict requirements of the national requirements on COVID-19 and the steps of the Notice.

The notice states before commencing any journey from home, location or place of residence to join a vessel or offshore platform, at anchorage/seaports/terminal/offshore platform/jetty, seafarers shall meet the National requirements on COVID-19 and at all travel locations, observe the standard guidelines issued by the PTF, NCDC and PHF on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, also seafarers shall at all times familiarise himself/herself with travel information; Confirm from their company and/or agent, date and means of his/her travel from home/location/place of residence to the vessel in anchorage, seaport, terminal, offshore platform or jetty; always have a means of identification as a seafarer, always have their crew health medical certificate of fitness and will require a joining instruction and introduction letter as a seafarer from the shipping company.

 The notice mandates all shipping companies to submit its crew list to before leaving or joining the vessel, also all shipping companies and agents have been directed to strictly comply with the terms of engagement with the seafarers concerning welfare, health, wages, safety and security on-board vessels in transit during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and Shipping companies and agents shall develop and implement a contingency plan and risk assessment on COVID-19 for their companies.

Crew Management

Crew Management involves activities handled by crew management companies and their manning agencies, these includes sourcing, recruitment, selection, deployment, scheduling, training, upgrading programs and ongoing management of seafarers engaged on vessels under crew management contracts.

It also involves crew administrative aspects, such as payroll services, travel arrangements, insurance, assistance with health, banking & financial services, career guidance, communication duties etc.

At Hendiac Nigeria limited, we have a diverse team of professionals with the expertise to manage fleet under crew management, liaising with principals and crews. Employing flexible approach and total commitment to personal service and quality management, Hendiac Nigeria limited has built a reputation for dependability and operating efficiency.

We hire high calibre recruiting officers, working out of Crewing offices and managing agencies as well as wider network of third party agencies. The management is done by designated crew Superintendents, who select and engage the command and crew of each vessel under crew management, taking into account the client’s requests. Crew Superintendents provide a worldwide support network for crew members, attending to their welfare, and day to day requirements.

We let our clients have access to our systems to promote transparency of operations and contribute to more effective planning.

Different Countries and its Crew Change Requirements

Crew Change procedures and regulations and requirements all over the world have been been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic have made countries around the world revise their crew change regulations. Most countries crew change requirements contain almost the same mode directives concerning precautions to be taken against the spread of the corona virus.