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

Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003, as amended (No. 185) - Indonesia (Ratification: 2008)

The Committee takes note of the Government’s second report on the application of the Convention. The Committee notes that the 2016 amendments to the Annexes of the Convention entered into force for Indonesia on 8 June 2017. The Committee recalls that these amendments aim at aligning the technical requirements of the Convention with the latest standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with respect to the technology for seafarers’ identity documents provided for in the Convention. In particular, they intend to change the biometric template in seafarers’ identity documents from a fingerprint template in a two-dimensional barcode to a facial image stored in a contactless chip as required by ICAO Document 9303. The Committee further notes that, at the Government’s request, an ILO technical mission visited the country in September 2014 with the objective of reviewing the seafarers’ identity document (SID) issuance system.

Articles 2 to 5 of the Convention. Seafarers’ identity documents. In its previous comment, the Committee requested the Government to provide additional explanations on: (i) the functioning of the national electronic database (including accessibility of seafarers to personal records and procedure for inquiry of focal point concerning the authenticity of issued SIDs); and (ii) any independent evaluation of the administration of the SID system which may have been carried out so far and the results obtained. The Committee notes that the Government had provided detailed information regarding these issues in a previous report submitted before the adoption of the 2016 amendments to the Convention. It notes however that, in its most recent report submitted in 2018, the Government does not refer to any specific measure undertaken or envisaged in order to implement these amendments. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to adopt, in the near future, the necessary measures to give effect to the provisions of the Convention, as amended in 2016 and to provide relevant information in this regard.

Article 7(1). Continuous possession. In its previous comment, the Committee noted that under section 8(1) of Regulation No. 30 of 2008, the SID is to be kept by the ship’s master throughout the period of the seafarer’s engagement as crew member and requested the Government to clarify how it is ensured that, in principle, the SID remains in the seafarer’s possession at all times, and that it may only be handed over to the ship’s master upon his/her prior written consent. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that, according to section 8(1) of the above mentioned Decree, the document kept by the master is the seaman’s book and not the SID, which is held by the seafarer. The Government further states that the seaman’s book comprises information on the physical identity of the seafarer which is not based on the finger print biometric standard and cannot be used as travel document. The Committee takes note of this information which addressed the point previously raised.