In the superyacht industry, it is particularly well understood that good relationships between owners and their crew have a direct impact on how well yachts are run, and the quality and consistency of the charter service offered. An important new insurance product, Crewsure Marine, which assists owners and managers in protecting the health and wellbeing of their crews and so meets forthcoming legal obligations under the recently ratified Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) is now being aimed at this unique sector of the market.
“A growing number of superyacht crew recruitment agencies are securing accreditation in line with MLC requirements,” says Robert Johnston, Managing Director of Crewsure. “The MLC will be ratified in August of this year and will affect the lives of yacht crew around the world. It will affect the crew’s conditions of employment, working conditions and working environment. The best yachts are always looking for the best crew, and that crew will now not only be looking for appropriate remuneration but also the best working conditions. In this new environment owners and management companies will be asking themselves if they are doing all they can to provide benefits and attract the quality on board personnel.”
Robert Johnston has a particular understanding of the superyacht sector, founding the yacht practice at British Marine and now serving as Chairman of Skuld Yacht. He emphasizes, “Yacht crews deserve the same care and concern, the same rights to benefits, the same access to the best medical treatment and the same security expected and enjoyed by those who work ashore, as a standard contractual entitlement.”
This is the vision that inspired the launch of Crewsure Marine, a composite insurance policy paid for by the Employer and which provides insurance to a crew for medical care, personal accident, loss or delay of baggage, and includes the cost of repatriation in the (albeit unlikely) case of abandonment as required under MLC.
Mr. Johnston recently retired as Chairman of British Marine after spending 10 years as Managing Director, which followed the 25 years that he spent with the Steamship Mutual P&I Club. He adds, "I intend to see Crewsure working harmoniously with all sectors of our maritime industry as we strive to deliver a composite insurance product complementary to P&I Insurance, which finally delivers the security and benefits that all working at sea deserve.”