Key takeaways
- ✓Start with the documents: passport, visa, seafarer’s book, medical and certificates must all be valid for the whole contract.
- ✓Book travel only after the port agent has confirmed the vessel’s arrival and the local entry rules.
- ✓Send the joining crew a single travel plan: flights, hotel, agent contact and boarding instructions.
- ✓Close the loop: handover notes, sign-off date, sea service record and wages for the leaving crew.
The checklist
| Step | What to check | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Documents | Passport (valid beyond the contract), visa for the country of joining, seafarer’s book, flag endorsements, medical certificate, STCW certificates | Crewing |
| 2. Contract | Signed Seafarer Employment Agreement with wage, rotation and repatriation terms | Crewing / master |
| 3. Port agent | Vessel ETA, berth, local immigration and health rules, letter of guarantee or OK-to-board | Agent |
| 4. Travel | Flights with flexibility, hotel near the port, transfers, seafarer fares where available | Travel / crewing |
| 5. Joining plan | One message to the crew member: flights, hotel, agent name and phone, where and when to board | Crewing |
| 6. Handover | Written handover between the leaving and the joining crew member for the same rank | On board |
| 7. Sign-off | Sign-off date in the crew list, sea service record, final wages and repatriation travel | Master / crewing |
| 8. Records | Update the crew list, certificates and next relief date | Crewing |
The most common reasons a crew change fails
- •A visa or passport that runs out during the contract
- •Flights booked before the vessel’s arrival was confirmed
- •The joining crew member does not know who to call on arrival
- •A certificate or medical that expires a few weeks after joining
- •No reliever planned, so the leaving crew member’s contract is extended
Plan the next relief at the same time
The cheapest crew change is the one you planned months ahead. When a crew member signs on, set the planned sign-off date and start looking for the reliever early — especially for ranks that are hard to fill.
Maritime Delivery’s Crew Manager does this for agencies and fleets: crew changes with flights, hotel, agent and a 7-point checklist, a travel plan you can send to linked crew, relief-due alerts and certificate expiry reminders.
Frequently asked questions
What documents does a seafarer need to join a ship?+
Typically a valid passport, a visa for the country of joining if required, a seafarer’s book or discharge book, a valid medical certificate, the STCW certificates for the rank and a signed Seafarer Employment Agreement. Requirements vary by flag state and port.
Who pays for a seafarer’s travel to join the ship?+
Under the Maritime Labour Convention, recruitment must be free for seafarers and repatriation at the end of the contract is the shipowner’s responsibility. In practice the shipowner or manager arranges and pays the travel; check the employment agreement.
How far in advance should a crew change be planned?+
As early as possible — ideally when the crew member signs on, by setting the planned sign-off date. Travel should only be booked once the port agent has confirmed the vessel’s arrival and the local rules.
Sources
Put it to work