Hiring crew for ships and yachts

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1. Overview

When you바카라 사이트™re hiring crew for a ship or yacht, you must:

You must make sure all crew members know the ship바카라 사이트™s safety and emergency procedures before the start of your journey.

2. Checking crew qualifications

You must check crew members바카라 사이트™ discharge books to make sure everyone has the necessary qualifications and experience.

Crew members doing specialist jobs or working on particular types of craft may need special training.

Officers

Officers in your crew must have the necessary certificates of competency (CoCs).

Check that officers바카라 사이트™ CoCs are valid.

Officers may need special training if working on tankers, high-speed craft or passenger ships.

Merchant navy ratings

Make sure that all crew have the correct rating for the work they바카라 사이트™ll be doing. Watch ratings need a CoC if they바카라 사이트™re performing navigation or engine room duties.

Crew on large yachts (24 metres long or over)

You must make sure your crew have a MCA Yacht Rating Certificate or other MCA recognised qualification, for example:

  • an able seaman (AB) certificate issued under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) AB Convention
  • a UK efficient deck hand (EDH) certificate
  • a navigational or engine room watch rating certificate issued under Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)

3. Certificates of competency

You must follow international regulations from Standards in Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) if you have a commercial vessel going to sea.

Some crew members need a certificate of competency (CoC) or certificate of equivalent competency (CEC) to carry out certain duties.

For seafarers바카라 사이트™ CoCs to remain valid on certain types of ship they바카라 사이트™ll need to meet new training standards in line with STCW regulations (바카라 사이트˜2010 Manila Amendments바카라 사이트™).

Deck officers

Masters and other deck department officers need a CoC if they바카라 사이트™re performing:

  • bridge watch-keeping duties
  • navigational duties

CoCs for deck officers are restricted depending on:

  • the size of the ship or yacht
  • the area of sea where it will operate

Download an application for a CoC for:

You can use a Certificate of Service instead, if you have one. These were issued until 1998.

Engineer officers

Engineer officers on a ship or yacht with a power output of 750 kilowatts or more need a CoC. There are different CoCs for engineer officers, depending on:

  • the power output of the ship or yacht
  • the area of sea where it will be operating

Download an application for a CoC for:

Revalidating CoCs

Deck and engineering officers must revalidate their certificate every 5 years. They do this by showing they바카라 사이트™ve completed either:

  • 12 months바카라 사이트™ sea service in the last 5 years
  • 3 months바카라 사이트™ sea service in the last 6 months
  • 2.5 years in a relevant job - contact the MCA for advice

Use form MSF 4258 if someone you want to hire can바카라 사이트™t revalidate their CoC because they don바카라 사이트™t meet the requirements.

Watch ratings

Watch ratings on merchant ships need a CoC if they바카라 사이트™re performing navigation or engine room duties.

Radio operators

Radio operators need CoCs if they handle distress and safety radio-communications. All radio personnel serving on UK-registered ships must have either:

  • a Restricted Operator바카라 사이트™s Certificate (ROC)
  • a General Operator바카라 사이트™s Certificate (GOC)

Other crew

Ships바카라 사이트™ cooks and security officers may also need a CoC.

More information

To find out more about the certification structure and examination and training requirements, read:

Contact the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to find out which members of your crew need a CoC.

MCA training and certification helpline
Telephone: 023 8032 9231
Find out about call charges

Certificate of equivalent competency (CEC)

A CEC allows officers holding Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certificates issued by some non-UK countries to work as officers on UK-registered merchant ships.

To get a CEC, your crew member must complete the CEC application form. As part of the application process they may be asked to prove their:

  • standards of competency
  • ability to use the English language (this may include an oral exam)
  • knowledge of UK law relating to their job

Read more about CECs or download part 19 of the MCA바카라 사이트™s training and certification guidance for more information.

4. Crew agreements

A crew agreement is an employment contract between a ship or yacht바카라 사이트™s owners and its crew.

All crew agreements must have:

  • a cover with details of the ship and its owners
  • an up-to-date crew list with names, dates of birth and addresses
  • a list of anyone on board who is under 18 or exempt from a crew agreement
  • contractual clauses for each crew member

A crew agreement can last up to 12 months. After this period, a new agreement must be drawn up.

What goes in a contractual clause

Clauses must include:

  • the name of the crew member
  • a description of the journey(s) that the agreement relates to
  • the crew member바카라 사이트™s job description
  • details of their pay, hours and leave
  • details of required notice and how the crew agreement can be terminated

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) gives guidance on drawing up crew agreements for merchant ships and yachts:

Contact MCA for advice on drawing up a crew agreement.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
Telephone: 0845 603 2431
Find out about call charges

What to do once you바카라 사이트™ve drawn up a crew agreement

  1. Get every crew member to sign the agreement when they join the ship and at the end of the journey.

  2. File the agreement with the shipping registry in the ship바카라 사이트™s 바카라 사이트˜flag state바카라 사이트™ (the country where it바카라 사이트™s registered).

  3. Display a copy on board the vessel.

  4. Send a copy (with the official log book, if a merchant ship) to a superintendent or proper officer within 3 days of its expiry.

Who signs a crew agreement

Most of the people on board a ship or yacht must sign the crew agreement. However, certain personnel will have separate employment contracts and won바카라 사이트™t have to sign, like:

  • captains
  • bodyguards
  • nannies
  • entertainment staff

5. Travel documents

All crew members must have either:

  • a valid passport
  • a Seafarers Identity Document (SID) containing a photograph, signature (or fingerprints) and a description of the holder, including their nationality

The standard seafarer바카라 사이트™s identity document for British citizens is the British seaman바카라 사이트™s card.

6. Crew lists

The master or skipper of a UK-registered ship must provide the ship바카라 사이트™s owner with a copy of an up-to-date crew list at the start of each journey. They must also tell the owner if there are any changes of crew during the journey.

If a ship is lost at sea, the crew list will be used to find out who is missing. The ship바카라 사이트™s owner should hand the crew list in to a local Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Marine Office or post it to:

Registry of Shipping and Seamen
Anchor Court
Ocean Way
Cardiff
CF24 5JW