When a seafarer is injured, falls ill, goes unpaid or is abandoned, the family at home is usually the first to act. Too often they have nothing to act with. They do not know the name of the company that owns the ship, who insures it, or even have a copy of the contract. Days are lost finding out, and in these matters days matter.

Twenty minutes before you leave home, and a few photographs after you join the ship, can change that completely. This note sets out what to do.

Part 1: Leave copies with your family

Before you travel to join, give your next of kin a clear copy of each of the following. A phone photograph of every page is enough, as long as it is readable.

Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA). All pages, signed, including the wage scale and any page that refers to a collective bargaining agreement. This shows who you are employed by, what you are owed, and on what terms.
Pre-sea medical certificate (PEME). This shows you were fit when you joined. In any illness or injury claim, it is the starting point.
Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC).
Passport. The photo page and any visa pages.
Seafarer Identity Document (SID).
INDoS number.
The recruiting agency. Its name, RPSL licence number, office address and the name and phone number of the person you dealt with.
The ship. Its name and IMO number, and the port where you are joining.

Keep these in one folder that your family can open without you, for example a shared cloud folder or an email sent to a trusted family member.

Part 2: Photograph these on board

Several certificates on every ship tell you exactly who owns it, who runs it and who insures it. Many ships display them near the ship’s office, the gangway or the crew mess. Once you have joined, photograph the following and send the pictures home.

Document of Compliance (DOC), copy. Issued under the ISM Code to the company responsible for operating the ship. It names that company and its address. A copy must be kept on board.
Safety Management Certificate (SMC). Issued to the ship itself. It names the same operating company, which links your ship to the DOC holder.
Maritime Labour Certificate and Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC), Parts I and II. These name the shipowner under MLC 2006, which is the party responsible for your working and living conditions. A copy must be posted where seafarers can see it.
Certificate of financial security for abandonment (MLC Standard A2.5.2). This covers unpaid wages and repatriation if the shipowner abandons the crew.
Certificate of financial security for death and long-term disability (MLC Standard A4.2.1). This covers contractual compensation for death or long-term disability.
Collective bargaining agreement (CBA), if your contract refers to one. Where a CBA forms part of your contract, a copy must be available on board.
Your monthly wage statements, each time you receive one.

The two financial security certificates are the most important. They are usually issued by the ship’s P&I club, they carry the club’s contact details, and MLC 2006 requires them to be posted in a conspicuous place on board. The convention also requires these schemes to allow a seafarer to claim directly from the provider. If the owner disappears, this is often where recovery begins.

Doing it properly

Photograph only documents that are posted in public areas, or that you are entitled to see. Do not photograph the Ship Security Plan or any document marked confidential.
Do it openly. There is nothing improper about keeping a record of certificates that are displayed for the crew.
Check that each photograph is sharp enough to read the company names and dates.
Send the pictures home or to your own email the same day, while you still have a signal.
Repeat this for every new contract and every new ship. Owners, managers and insurers change.

Why this works

A ship can be owned by one company, managed by a second and crewed through a third, each in a different country. When something goes wrong, each may point to the others. The documents above cut through that. The SEA shows what you were promised. The DOC and SMC show who ran the ship. The Maritime Labour Certificate shows who took responsibility for the crew. The financial security certificates show who pays when the owner does not. With these in hand, your family, and anyone acting for you, can move on the first day rather than the tenth.

Helplines for seafarers

Legal Lighthouse seafarer line. Call or WhatsApp +91 98101 16699 to speak to the firm about unpaid wages, injury, abandonment or a contract problem.
e-Navik 24×7, Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA). Toll-free in India 1800-889-7768. From abroad (US toll-free) +1-888-988-0256. WhatsApp +91 86558 56830. Email enavik.24×7@gov.in. For recruitment fraud, unpaid wages, abandonment, safety and certification complaints. Official page.
SeafarerHelp, run by ISWAN. Free, confidential and multilingual, 24 hours a day. Phone +44 20 7323 2737. WhatsApp +44 7909 470732.

The DGMA and ISWAN services are free, independent services and are not connected with this firm.

Speak with our team.

For specific questions on a matter, rather than general commentary, please contact the firm directly.

Request consultation → ← All Insights

Before you sail: the documents to leave with your family, and the ones to photograph on board