Seafarer Safety Notice

1. The main rule: seafarers do not pay for jobs

Under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006), seafarers must have access to a system for finding employment on board ship without charge to the seafarer (Regulation 1.4). A recruitment and placement service must not charge seafarers, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, any fees or other charges for recruitment, placement or providing employment (Standard A1.4, paragraph 5(b)(i)). The only costs a seafarer may bear are their own national statutory medical certificate, national seafarer's book and passport or similar personal travel document. Visa costs are borne by the shipowner.

If someone asks you to pay for "a place on board", "a guaranteed joining", "reserving a vacancy", "registration in our database", "mandatory training with us", "document processing" or "a refundable deposit", treat it as a sign of fraud or an unlawful recruitment fee. Do not pay, and report it to us.

Finding work on Rynda Crewing is free for seafarers: your CV, the vacancy catalogue, applications within the monthly allowance, employer invitations and messages.

2. Signs of a fake vacancy

• the salary is well above the market for the rank and vessel type, with minimal requirements;
• there is no vessel name, type, flag, IMO number or company, and questions about them go unanswered;
• you are rushed: "reply today", "only one place left";
• you are asked to send money, pay for a ticket "to be reimbursed later", or buy courses or a medical examination from a particular organisation;
• the recruiter moves the conversation to a private messenger straight away, before discussing the vacancy;
• you are asked for a password, a one-time code from a text message or email, or your bank card details;
• you are asked to sign a contract without being given time to read it, or to hand over original documents "for safekeeping".

3. How to check an employer or agency

• Research the company: its official website, address, registration details and reviews from seafarers. Employers and agencies on the platform are verified when they register, but verification only means that their organisation details raised no reasonable doubts at that time. It does not guarantee that a particular offer is genuine.
• Vacancies collected from public sources are not verified by the platform. Check them with particular care.
• Recruitment and placement services must operate in accordance with the law of the country where they are based, which may require a licence or certification under MLC 2006, Standard A1.4. Ask for the agency's licence or certificate details and check them with the issuing authority.
• Check the vessel by its IMO number in public maritime databases: name, flag, type and owner.
• An agency must tell you clearly that it acts as an intermediary and name the shipowner or employer.

4. Your contract and documents

• Before signing, you must be given an opportunity to examine your seafarer employment agreement and seek advice on it (MLC 2006, Standard A2.1, paragraph 1(b)). Check the rank, vessel, contract length, wage and currency, hours of work, leave, repatriation and insurance.
• Do not hand over original documents to an agency "for safekeeping". Show originals; send copies.
• Do not send images of your passport or certificates to unknown messenger accounts or email addresses. On the platform, employers see details of your documents, and your contact details become available to an employer only after a mutual response or within its plan allowance.
• Before travelling, make sure your ticket, visa and arrival at the port are arranged by the employer and that you have a contact for the person responsible.

5. Keeping your account safe

• Rynda Crewing never asks for your password, a confirmation code or card details in messages, by phone or in a messenger.
• Sign in only at crewing.rynda.io. Check the address before entering your password.

6. How to report a problem

Email support@rynda.io with a link to the vacancy or company profile, a short description of the problem and a copy of the messages or payment request. Reports of fraud and unlawful recruitment fees are handled first; see Reporting content and complaints. If you are being asked for money or have already paid a fraudster, also contact the police in your country.