Bulgarian Maritime Administration - EXTENSION OF DURATION OF DOCUMENTS

In relation to the worldwide situation of the incidence and spread of COVID-19, a number of countries have put in place restrictive measures regarding the free movement of citizens. As a result, many ship owners face the inability to make scheduled crew changes, which in turn raises a number of serious issues, including: validity expiration of certificates of competence (CoC) and/or certificates of proficiency (CoP) for special and additional training of seafarer’s onboard ships. After the discussions held and the international research, upon considering the experience and the recommendations of the flag administrations including a considerable number of registered seafarers Bulgarian Maritime Administration consider the following guidelines for adoption of extraordinary measures of the seafarer’s certificates of competency or certificates of proficiency issued by Bulgarian Maritime Administration:
Extension of the validity of seafarers documents beyond their expiry date

1. Certificates of competency and certificates of professional competence.
The Maritime Administration EA extends the validity of the certificates of competence and certificates of professional competence, which expire on June 13, 2020 by 3 (three) months. to seafarers on board ships and who cannot be guaranteed return to the Republic of Bulgaria.
It is not necessary to apply individually to seafarers to extend the validity of a certificate.

2. Certificates of medical fitness.
Taking into account the emergency situation, EA Maritime Administration, following the contingencies provided for in the provisions of Regulation I / 9 of the Annex to the International Convention on Watch Service and Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Seafarers 1978, as amended (STCW as amended) and Rule 1.2. of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006, as amended (MLC 2006), authorizes seafarers on board ships to carry out their duties without a valid medical certificate, provided that:
The period of work does not exceed 3 months, and
- the seafarer on board holds an expired medical certificate to date.

3. Confirmation certificates issued by EA Maritime Administration of certificates of competence and certificates of professional competence for the operation of tankers issued by other administrations.
The term of validity of certificates already issued by the Maritime Administration EA, and certificates of professional competence for the operation of tankers issued by other administrations, shall be bound by the period of validity of the latter.
If the national certificate of a seafarer on board a ship and holding a certificate of certification issued by the Maritime Administration EA is revalidated, it may be possible to apply for a new certificate of certification by the Agency. In this case, the seafarer will be issued a provisional certificate of validity up to 3 months from the date of submission of the application.
If the administration that issued the national certificate to a seafarer on board a ship and holding a certificate of certification issued by the Maritime Administration EA has adopted a general rule for extension, then the validity of the Bulgarian certificate of validity shall be extended by the same period.
It is not necessary to individually apply for seafarers to extend their validity.

Captain ZHIVKO PETROV
Executive Director of
Maritime Administration