In November 2015 the Cyprus government approved a scheme to subsidise practical training on board ships for deck and engine cadet officers. The Department of Merchant Shipping (DMS) has now announced the detailed conditions of the scheme and the procedure for claiming reimbursement. Under the scheme owners of Cyprus flagged vessels or owners of foreign flagged vessels, charterers or ship managers who are taxed under the Cyprus tonnage tax system may claim a subsidy for practical training of cadet officers carried out aboard vessels of at least 1,500 gross tonnes engaged in international voyages. In order to qualify for funding under the scheme the cadet officer must be a permanent resident of Cyprus and a graduate or student of a recognised merchant marine academy or a marine engineering, mechanical engineering or naval architecture university faculty.
The scheme will provide a subsidy of €600 per month per cadet officer as well as a contribution to the cost of basic training and ship security awareness training. Applications for reimbursement must be submitted to the DMS with the prescribed supporting documentation. The employer must contribute at least €200 per month to each cadet officer's salary and if the vessel flies the Cyprus flag the employer must also pay the prescribed contributions to the Social Insurance Department based on the total amount of the salary.
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