The location of Hambantota International Harbour, as well as its environs, provides an exceptional site for crew changes
- Mattala International airport is a 15-minutes’ drive
- Can reach safe house within 5 minutes
- Boat facility for outer anchorage crew changes
- Hassle-free well-organized procedures
The strategic importance of Sri Lanka’s geographical location at the southernmost tip of the Indian Ocean has encouraged the international maritime and aviation industry players to choose the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) as a destination for global ship crew changes.
Crew change services from Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) for global shipping are gathering pace amid a Coronavirus crisis. Covid-19 has paralyzed supply chains and the movement of people, but nowhere has the disruption been starker than on the issue of crew changes.
Port restrictions and the global lockdown have stifled crew mobility. Ship operators have found themselves unable to repatriate seafarers in the usual manner. As a result, crew members have had to remain on ships beyond their contracted period. Others have been unable to join their ships. The strain on the world’s seafarers is hard to imagine. At this juncture, Ceyline Maritime and the island’s ports are working together to help ships change crew while many airports are closed around the world.
Further, Sri Lanka’s Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) offers all nine air freedoms to any foreign airline operating in and out of MRIA without restrictions whatsoever. In addition, Sri Lanka has slashed landing fees and boarding charges at the Mattala to draw more airlines.
Ceyline Maritime can make all the necessary arrangements and take every precautionary measure to facilitate the seafarers’ arrival and transferring process as per the guidelines of the Sri Lanka health authorities.
Why You Need a Crew Change
- Crew whose employment contract has expired
- The additional crew on board whose sign-off would not affect the safe manning of the ship
- Change of crew due to the sale or purchase of a ship
- Personnel who are not part of the ship’s crew, such as superintendents and service engineers
- Compassionate grounds, e.g., death of a family member
- The crew is no longer medically fit to work onboard the ship