97Paying for repatriation

97 Paying for repatriation

(1) If a seafarer is repatriated, the owner of a vessel must, at least, pay for the following:

(a) the seafarer’s passage to the repatriation destination;

(b) accommodation and food when the seafarer leaves the vessel, until the seafarer is at the repatriation destination;

(c) transportation of up to 23 kg of the seafarer’s luggage to the repatriation destination;

(d) the seafarer’s medical treatment until the seafarer is medically fit to travel to the repatriation destination.

(2) The owner of a vessel must not:

(a) require a seafarer to make an advance payment towards the cost of repatriation; or

(b) recover the cost of repatriation from the seafarer’s wages or other entitlements, unless the seafarer is found to be in serious breach of the seafarer’s work agreement.

(3) Paragraph (2)(b) does not limit the seafarer’s right to take legal action for an employment dispute.