Photo: depositphotos.com

On Monday, the Sixth Appeal Administrative Court overturned the decision of the Kyiv District Administrative Court, unblocking the procedure for transparent certification of seafarers, announced the head of the Maritime Administration, Yevheniy Ihnatenko on Facebook.

The decision of the KDAC prohibited the administration from exercising the powers provided for by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1499 on the assignment of ranks to persons in the command staff of sea vessels.
"What does this victory mean? First of all, starting today, sailors can once again receive diploma services in a transparent and legal manner, defined by Resolution No. 1499," Ihnatenko explained. The administration will immediately resume issuing qualification documents.

The court decision also allows services for seafarers to be launched on the Diia portal.

Ihnatenko said that the reform is fiercely contested, in total 31 appeals have been submitted to the courts.

"In fact, they are aimed at challenging the liquidation of the [old] Inspectorate for Training and Certification of Seafarers and prohibiting the Maritime Administration from exercising powers related to certification. Thus, maintaining corruption schemes in the certification of seafarers," the official said.

The Minister of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, also believes that those "who have been used to earning money from sailors for many years" oppose the new certification procedure.

On February 14, 2023, the completely renewed commission on certification of seafarers (created under the Maritime Administration, and not under the Certification Inspectorate, as before) returned to work and announced the first decisions.

At the beginning of June, a court blocked the Cabinet of Ministers' Resolution No. 1499.