Multiple activities in the coastal strip
If they have always existed, service activities near the coast have multiplied. In the summer, there has been an increase in proposals for delivering pizzas or pastries on board boats at anchor, or for transferring them to restaurants or restricted sailing areas. To this can be added the work of marina employees in charge of receiving boats in port. All of these coastal services, at a distance of less than 6 miles from the coast, which require variable boarding times, have to date been provided within a legal framework that is poorly known and often poorly applied. In the new order of 29 July 2020 on the conditions for the exercise of ancillary maritime activities and the adaptation of the conditions for the exercise of certain maritime activities to near-coastal voyages, the public authorities are determining a new framework, adapted to these niche trades.
Avoid "true-false" sailors
To avoid the complexities of the seaman's regime, many professionals worked under the general social security regime, or even in a hidden manner. The new ordinance now introduces new rules for professionals who only work as seamen on an ancillary basis or under special conditions relating to their exclusive practice in coastal areas:
- derogation from membership of the special scheme for seafarers
- unification of the social protection of these workers
- accuracy of mandatory medical qualifications
Certain activities remain excluded from this derogation, such as the transport of more than 12 passengers and scheduled services, port service employees, construction, dredging or maintenance of offshore facilities. The latter remain subject to the normal regime for professional seafarers.
