French Government’s support for the merchant fleet

Shipping companies can benefit from 2 support schemes for the merchant fleet :

• exemption from employers’ contributions in respect of international competition ;
• reimbursement of social security contributions paid by companies.

This aid applies to seafarers on board commercial vessels subject to international competition and flying the French, European or European Economic Area (EEA) flag.

Exemption from employers’ contributions for shipping companies

Certain activities subject to international competition may be eligible for exemption from employers’ contributions, under the provisions of article L. 5553-11 of the Transport Code.

The application for exemption from employers’ contributions under art. L. 5553-11 of the Transport Code has been made easier since 2022: it is now possible from the government platform ‘demarches-simplifiees.fr.’

The support scheme for shipping companies (SEAM)

The SEAM was effective for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. The scheme was not intended to be renewed after 2024 and is therefore no longer in force.

This aid is granted to companies that benefit from the exemptions provided for in Article L. 5553-11 of the French Transport Code, excluding services provided by these companies under a public service delegation agreement.

In the case of passenger ships operating on regular routes, aid is only granted for ships operating on international routes.

For cargo, cruise and service vessels, the aid is only granted to operational staff (PEX) and junior officers falling within the nomenclature set out in the decree of 28 April 2022 (ENIM function codes beginning with the letters F and G for junior officers and J to S for PEX).

To be eligible for the SEAM scheme, seafarers must be nationals of an EU Member State and affiliated to the ENIM. Seamen are said to be ‘European’ in two cases:

• in the case of seafarers embarked on passenger ships on regular services between two ports located in EU Member States, they must be citizens of the EU or an associated State;
• in all other cases, seafarers must be subject to tax and/or social security contributions in an EU Member State or Associated State.

This aid is equivalent to the employee contributions paid by the companies concerned. It is based on :

• the employee share of the contribution to the social protection scheme for seamen (‘ENIM share’) ;
• the contribution to the repayment of the social debt (CRDS);
• the general social contribution (CSG).

Assistance is granted every six months.

The application for aid, together with the supporting documents, must be sent via the demarches-simplifiees.fr platform during the month following the end of each half-year.

If the DGAMPA grants the aid for the six-month period, it will be paid within a period that may not exceed 4 months after the end of the six-month period.

Please find below the detailed explanatory note for the SEAM scheme: