Every inspection looks beyond the machinery. This week’s RISQ focus turns to two questions that protect the people running the ship:
2.2 – Has the vessel been provided with certificates of financial security for seafarers?
2.3 – Can all crew communicate effectively in the working language of the ship?
01 | Financial Security for Seafarers
Since January 2017, every ship covered by the Maritime Labour Convention has been required to carry and display two separate certificates confirming that financial protection is in place for its crew. Inspectors check for both, not one.
Certificate 1 – Repatriation & Wages: covers food, accommodation, medical care, and up to four months’ outstanding wages in case of abandonment.
Certificate 2 – Death & Disability: covers compensation for death or long-term disability arising from an occupational injury or illness.
Without these certificates on display, a seafarer left behind after abandonment, or injured on the job, has no documented guarantee of support. It is a small piece of paperwork with an outsized human consequence.
02 | A Common Language on Board
A ship can carry the best safety equipment on the market and still fail at the most basic level if crew cannot understand an order. Every vessel must establish and log a working language, and every seafarer is expected to give and receive instructions in it.
On SOLAS vessels, English is non-negotiable for bridge-to-bridge and bridge-to-shore safety exchanges, and for communication with pilots, unless everyone directly involved shares another common language. Plans and posted lists must also be translated into the ship’s working language.