Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Prevention of Accidents (Seafarers) Convention, 1970 (No. 134) - French Southern and Antarctic Territories

The Committee notes the Government’s indication in its report that there has been no change concerning the situation in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) since its last report. The registered fleet is now composed of only a few fishing vessels and, in accordance with Act No. 2005-412 of 3 May 2005 on the establishment of the French International Register (RIF), commercial vessels can no longer be registered in the TAAF. The Committee requests the Government to indicate any developments in this situation.

Article 2 of the Convention. Statistics and investigations into maritime occupational accidents. The Committee previously requested the Government to indicate the manner in which the French Marine Accident Investigation Office (BEAmer) intervenes concerning occupational accidents on board fishing vessels registered in the TAAF. It also requested the Government to take measures to ensure that occupational accidents are adequately reported and investigated and comprehensive statistics of such accidents are kept and analysed. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, as the TAAF has no jurisdiction of its own, the BEAmer intervenes in French territorial waters on the same basis in the overseas departments as in the metropolitan area. The Government also indicates that, regarding maritime occupational accidents, a specific study commissioned by the maritime authority from the Maritime Prevention Institute is being carried out on the vessels registered in the TAAF to analyse the situations in which accidents occur, the distribution of accidents by type of injury and the consequences of these accidents in terms of the mortality rate. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the results of the above-mentioned study.