Safe boarding a vessel during the Corona Covid-19 crisis

Boarding a vessel is not a matter to be taken for granted. After all, there are contamination risks. Difficult is that medical opinions about when someone is not contagious are still developing. So there is no concrete advice, and the views of medical experts on which we base our advice to our members may continue to evolve from day to day. Testing, if performed professionally, provides certainty. Nautilus is therefore working with the shipowners to make pre-boarding screening / testing more widely available. Of course not without the necessary employment and medical safeguards.

Some shipowners do not change crew at all. Other companies are asking their crew to quarantine prior to resuming work. Members ask Nautilus whether the latter is allowed and reasonable.

Employment law

The main rule in employment law is that the employer has right of instruction and can therefore issue reasonable instructions. This may fall apply. However, any quarantine must then be fully in accordance with the RIVM guidelines and professionally supervised. The measure must also be proportional. Real quarantine is a tough measure because it leads to a serious situation that completely limits the personal freedoms of an employee. Before this is done, it should therefore be ruled out that no lighter measures are possible that would have the same effect as quarantine. And such a measure must also be reasonable in relation to, for example, the sailing time that follows after a quarantine. If you are unsure whether this can reasonably be expected of you in your situation, please contact us and we will assist you.