Travel To and From Ships

The journey to and from a ship is a distinct professional experience that most shore-based workers never have to navigate. You may be flying at 24 hours notice to a port you have never been to, carrying a full kit bag, a discharge book, and medical certificates, connecting through an airport where your flag state visa complicates transit. Or you may be trying to get home from a vessel delayed by bad weather with a connecting flight that has already left. This guide covers the practical realities that no pre-joining brief quite prepares you for.

Who Pays for Travel

Under MLC 2006 Regulation 2.5, employers are required to cover the cost of repatriation for seafarers at the end of their contract, in cases of contract termination by the company, and following certain medical events. The obligation to pay joining travel costs varies by contract and company. In practice:

• Deep-sea operators: Usually pay all joining and repatriation travel, accommodation during transit, and a daily subsistence allowance
• Short-sea and ferry operators: Often pay travel for crew joining away from their home port, but may not for vessels in home port
• Superyacht operators: Generally cover joining flights, but policies on last-minute changes, missed connections, and stopovers vary significantly

Get your travel entitlement in writing before you travel — not just a verbal commitment. Your contract should specify what is covered and what the reimbursement procedure is.

The Pre-Joining Brief and What to Confirm

Before departing for any vessel, always confirm:

• Port agent contact details — who picks you up, where they will meet you, and what their number is
• Vessel ETA/ETD at the joining port — ships move; confirm 24 hours before departure
• Visa requirements — for your nationality, at both transit airports and the destination port country
• What documentation to carry — CoC, STCW certificates, ENG1/FV2, passport, seafarer's identity document (SID) if applicable, pre-joining medical form
• Kit bag restrictions — some routes have checked baggage allowance problems; confirm baggage allowance with the company travel team

Transit Visas — Where Things Go Wrong

One of the most common pre-joining crises is a seafarer being detained or denied boarding at a transit airport due to visa requirements they were not briefed on. The C1/D crew visa for the United States, ETIAS for Europe (launching 2025), and UK transit visa requirements all catch seafarers out regularly.

Key principles:

• Check visa requirements for your nationality at every country you will transit through, not just your final destination
• The UK Visas & Immigration checker and equivalent services for other destination countries will give you the definitive answer
• Maintain valid documents — an expired seafarer's identity document (SID) or CDC may complicate entry at certain ports more than an expired tourist document
• Your company's crewing department or port agent should handle visa applications for non-standard joinings; if they do not, flag it immediately rather than assuming it will be fine

Our dedicated seafarer immigration and visas guide covers the C1/D, Australian MCV, European ETIAS, and port transit documents in full detail.

Airport Lounges and Priority Access

Many seafarers on long international joinings are booked in business class or premium economy by their operator — which includes lounge access. If travelling economy, some crew-friendly bank accounts (Revolut Premium, Lloyds Offshore Seafarer Account, Barclays Premier) include Priority Pass or LoungeKey membership. Airport lounges matter practically on long-haul crew travel — the difference between a 6-hour transit in a busy terminal and a quiet lounge with food, showers, and Wi-Fi is significant when you are about to join a vessel for four months.

If you are funding your own transit, check whether your credit card includes lounge access. Dragon Pass covers over 1,300 lounges globally; Priority Pass covers over 1,400. Independent day passes are typically £25–£45 per visit.

Subsistence Claims — What You Can Claim

Many operators pay a daily subsistence allowance for pre-joining travel days, particularly when travel is overnight or extends beyond the planned joining date due to vessel delays. Keep receipts for all expenditure during crew travel — meals, taxis, accommodation — and submit claims promptly. HMRC sets benchmark subsistence rates for employee travel that companies may use as a cap for tax-free reimbursement. Rates as of 2025: £5 (5+ hours absence), £10 (10+ hours), £25 (25+ hours including overnight).

What Happens When the Ship Moves

Vessels change joining ports. This happens frequently — weather delays, cargo schedule changes, port congestion. Your company's crewing department should track your status in real time, but in practice you may receive short-notice changes mid-journey. What to do:

1. Contact your company crewing contact immediately when you receive a port change notification
2. Do not rebook flights yourself unless instructed to — company travel teams have relationships with airlines that allow changes at lower cost
3. Know the port agent's contact in your new destination before you travel
4. If you incur costs due to a company-caused delay or diversion, document everything for reimbursement