F There is a great deal of variety in
the yacht sector, and some smaller
vessels are finding it harder to
attract crew because they can’t offer
rotational contracts.
FINLANDS SJÖFART J SUOMEN MERENKULKU 45
Rotation on a 5:1 ratio is in place
for a lot for 50m+ yachts and is almost
universal for 70m+ yachts. With
engineers being in high demand,
many have 1:1 rotation on anything
from 40m yachts upwards.
A captain’s role on a yacht is very
different from that on commercial
ships as they liaise directly with the
owner and their team. They are
ultimately onboard managers and so
they often don’t have rotation. This
means less rotation being offered to
deck officers, except on 90m+ yachts
where this is universal to attract the
officers needed for their qualifica-tions.
Since 2008, the Maritime Labour
Convention has had an impact – espe-cially
on newbuilds. The contractual
element of MLC has been very
positive from the perspective of the
seafarers, with professional compa-nies
having more of an impact on
crew recruitment, employment and
payroll, along with increased insur-ance
coverage.
There have been some very
high-profile cases where yachts have
been arrested for wages owed to
crew, and I have witnessed this from
the outside a lot more frequently than
might be imagined -- especially as
yachting is perceived as a luxury
industry where every owner is an
oligarch or head of state with deep
pockets.
One strange effect of the regula-tion,
which has affected yachts built
since the convention was enforced,
affects minimum cabin sizes. Whilst
on one hand it should mean that crew
get more personal space, and this
should be a positive, the reality is that
yachts are being operated with fewer
crew, so the crew that are there are
working harder.
A 30-40m yacht may now have one
to three fewer crew, but when they
still have eight to 12 guests onboard it
can be a real issue for the crew to be
able to deliver the high level of
service that owners and guests
expect.
The hours of rest regulations
existed previously for commercial
yachts, and are still being monitored.
But frankly, and don’t shoot the
messenger, it is almost impossible to
operate a sub-50m yacht with the
manning levels they have during a
24-hour-a-day charter operation. This
debate is never-ending and it’s not my
intention to fly my flag in either
corner of the argument, whether that
be to rewrite the regulations or to
accept them and tell yacht owners to
expect less from their crew. But what
I will say is that I have been an
advocate of the regulations since the
ISM Code was enforced and the ILO
hours of work and rest regulations
were in force.
I have been crew, I have been a
yacht manager, I have written
non-conformity reports about a
breach in rest hours as both an officer
and a DPA, but I have never accepted
crew lying or forging their records. I
believe they must be completed
correctly to aid the slow process of
owner awareness and acceptance and
to help the industry gather reliable
data to demonstrate the reality of
working hours across the board.
However, there is a severe lack of
real, true, honest data to be analysed,
or a single industry body who will
examine what impact it really has.
However, there are still lots of jobs
available for seafarers in the sector.
While there is a skill shortage in the
junior positions, a large amount of
senior crew -- captains and mates,
more so than engineers -- are looking
for work.
There are signs that the general
nature of the millennial generation is
affecting yachting, in the same way as
other industries. Crew jump from
boat to boat, their attitudes to the
very demanding working hours and
often poor living conditions and slow
internet speeds has resulted in a very
transient approach to their employ-ment
where the grass is always
greener.
This is having a big impact on
yachts, senior crew and the owners.
Having crew join and leave so
frequently is not good for anyone -- es-pecially
the yacht’s maintenance and
crew familiarity, or the owner’s
enjoyment.
There still lots of seafarers making
the change from the MN to the yacht
sector. Whether it’s the British
Merchant Navy or other nationalities
where commercial officers are joining
yachts, the lure of yachting remains
strong as it has a luxury image and
perception of being a bit of an easy
ride. Whilst this is not the case, it is