Ring-fenced seafarers require medical certificates

A medical certificate is required two years after a Verification of Status card is issued, which means some seafarers will need to see their GP before 27 October 2018.

A medical certificate can be from any GP and has to be renewed every two years.

More than 7,200 seafarers opted to save their legacy seafarer certificates, registering by the 1 September 2017 deadline for ring-fencing so they could keep working.

“We saved over 10,000 seafarer ‘tickets’,” says Maritime NZ Personnel Certification Manager Lou Christensen. “We thank all those seafarers for getting on board with ringfencing. It was a massive effort, but we’re pleased to have registered so many people.”

While some seafarers decided not to ring-fence as they were retiring or had left the industry, others registered their tickets to keep their options open or for sentimental reasons.

“We know that people’s tickets are important to them and that’s why ring-fencing has been a priority for us,” Lou says.

Maritime NZ ran an extensive year-long awareness campaign to make sure as many seafarers as possible would know how to register their tickets. “Thank you to anyone who let a mate know about ring-fencing. You did them – and us – a favour.”

Late applications for ring-fencing with valid reasons for missing last year’s deadline will be accepted up until 31 December 2018.

For more information call +64 4 494 1559 or email ringfence@maritimenz.govt.nz.