Can I employ foreign crew on a Malta-flagged vessel?

Yes, employing foreign national crew on Malta-flagged vessels is entirely standard practice and permitted, reflecting the genuinely international nature of Malta's shipping registry, but crew members serving on Maltese-registered vessels generally need to hold appropriate certification recognised under the Merchant Shipping Act, Chapter 234 of the Laws of Malta, and consistent with Malta's obligations under international conventions it has acceded to, including the STCW Convention governing standards of training, certification, and watchkeeping for seafarers, and the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) addressing broader seafarer working and living conditions. Depending on their specific role and nationality, crew members may need Maltese Certificates of Competency, or recognised equivalent certification from their own national maritime authority that Malta accepts under mutual recognition arrangements, and the process for applying for and verifying this certification, along with issuing documents such as a Seaman's Record Book, is generally handled through Transport Malta's Merchant Shipping Directorate, including through their digital Seafarer Portal designed to streamline these applications. Given the genuine complexity of properly verifying and documenting crew certification correctly, particularly for a genuinely international crew with certification from various different national maritime authorities, it would be advisable to work with a maritime lawyer or specialised crewing agency familiar with current Transport Malta requirements to ensure full compliance.