Seafarer Employment Agreements: What Yacht Crew Must Check Before Signing

Seafarer Employment Agreements: What Yacht Crew Must Check Before Signing

Your Seafarer Employment Agreement is the contract that says what you are paid, how much leave you get and who flies you home. Here is what the Maritime and Coastguard Agency says it must contain, and what to check before you sign.

What a Seafarer Employment Agreement is

A Seafarer Employment Agreement, or SEA, is the written, legally enforceable agreement between you and the shipowner or employer for your work on board. It comes from the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC), the international convention on seafarers' working and living conditions, which came into force in August 2013. The MLC covers five areas: the minimum requirements to work on a ship, conditions of employment, accommodation and food, health protection and welfare, and compliance and enforcement.

For UK ships the rules are set out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in Marine Guidance Note MGN 477 (M) Amendment 5, published in February 2025. The MCA states that every seafarer on a vessel the regulations apply to must have an SEA, and that SEAs replaced the old collective crew agreements on those vessels.

Which yachts it applies to

The UK regulations apply to sea-going UK ships wherever they are, and to non-UK ships in UK waters. They do not apply to pleasure vessels or to vessels that are not ordinarily engaged in commercial activities. In yachting terms: a commercially operated yacht, such as a charter yacht, falls under the MLC rules; a purely private yacht generally does not, so your protection there depends on the contract you are offered and on the flag.

The flag at the stern shows where the yacht is registered, and it is that flag state's law which governs your agreement. Other red ensign and MLC flag states follow the same convention, with their own guidance. Ask which flag the yacht flies and whether she is operated commercially before you accept.

What your SEA must contain

Annex 1 of MGN 477 lists the minimum information. Use it as a checklist.

If you are self-employed rather than an employee, the MCA still requires an SEA. It must contain the general items above, plus your remuneration and how and when it is paid.

Your rights before you sign

• You must be given the opportunity to examine the agreement and seek advice on it before signing.
• The SEA must include a signed statement that you had that opportunity, that your rights and responsibilities were explained, and that you entered into it freely.
• It should be written and presented clearly enough for you to understand the terms. The MCA recommends a translation where crew do not read the language it is written in.
• You must be given a signed original as soon as possible after signing. A copy is also kept on board.
• An agreement may not contain terms contrary to UK law. The MCA's example is a clause forbidding you to join or contact a trade union.

Ask for the SEA before you travel to join the yacht, not on the passerelle.

Notice periods

The notice period must be written into the SEA, must be at least seven days, and must be the same for both sides: the shipowner cannot ask you for longer notice than they give you. Shorter notice is allowed without penalty on compassionate grounds or for gross misconduct, and the SEA should say what those mean. The MCA says it will query notice periods that are unduly restrictive on seafarers, such as several months.

Time on board and getting home

On a UK ship you are entitled to repatriation when your SEA expires, or after a maximum of 11 months of continuous service on board. The MCA says extensions beyond the contract are a last resort, need your informed consent, and that a valid SEA must stay in force until you are home. Where an extension takes a seafarer past 11 months, the shipowner has to notify the MCA.

The convention itself also sets a floor for leave and rest: paid annual leave of at least 2.5 calendar days for each month of employment, and at least 10 hours of rest in any 24 hours and 77 hours in any seven days.

When you leave the yacht

The shipowner must give you a record of your employment on board: the ship, your capacity, the date you started and the date and place of discharge. It may be an entry in your discharge book or a certificate of discharge. It must not include any comment on your conduct or your wages. Keep it: it is your proof of sea service.

If something goes wrong

1. Raise it on board first, through the yacht's on-board complaint procedure, which UK sea-going ships are required to have.
2. If that does not resolve it, raise it with an authorised officer in the port where the yacht is lying. In a UK port that is the nearest MCA Marine Office.
3. Court action is the last step. The MCA notes that UK ships are subject to UK law but that proceedings need not be in a UK court.

The MCA's Seafarer Services team can be reached at [email protected]. The MCA also recommends that shipowners follow the ITF and ICS guidance on eliminating shipboard harassment and bullying.

A two-minute check before you join

• Is the yacht private or commercial, and which flag does she fly?
• Do you have the SEA in your hands before you travel?
• Does it name the shipowner, not only a management company or agency?
• Are salary, currency, pay date, leave and notice all written down, and do they match what you were offered? Our Yacht Salary Guidelines 2026 show the current ranges.
• Does it say who pays to get you home, and to where?
• Have you kept your own signed copy somewhere off the yacht?

Keep your paperwork in one place

Your Crew HQ profile holds your CV, certificates and references, and reminds you before a document expires. Register free, and see who is hiring on the yacht jobs page.

Sources

Maritime and Coastguard Agency, MGN 477 (M) Amendment 5: MLC 2006 seafarer's employment agreements, and the MCA's MLC 2006 titles 1 to 5 guidance, which carries the model SEA format; both read on 13 October 2026. This article is a plain-language summary for crew, not legal advice. Yachts under other flags follow that flag state's rules: check with the flag or take advice before you sign.