Commercial delivery Clyde to Aberdeen.

[Graham_Wright]

Son has been asked by the purchaser to delver a tug by the route in the post. He has then been offered a permanent position as skipper.

He is adequately qualified and has the necessary tickets.

However, the purchaser/employer is tight-fisted and reluctant to purchase proper charts to cover the passage.

My view is that, as skipper, he has certain responsibilities in law and, to meet them, needs to have a properly equipped vessel. The tug has been surveyed and has a clean bill of health. Son has various electronic aids and I am sure the trip will be executed safely given favourable weather.

But.

He also does not have a written declaration that he has been appointed skipper nor a directive to undertake the delivery.
I told him he needs the documents not word of mouth. He is concerned about insurance - rightly I think.

The ongoing job offer he finds attractive and does not want to prejudice it.

What do the team think?

 

[Spyro]

I don't have any experience of this but I would have thought some sort of signed contract would be a minimum requirement. It's fine when it's fine but when something goes wrong that's when all detail has to be covered.

 

[Wansworth]

Is it a harbour tug,should he not be signing articles ....everything ok till there is a problem then the skipper carries the can!

 

[awol]

Charts - sufficient to plan voyage and mark position but the actual requirements depend on size of vessel - e.g. for small vessels Imray charts (corrected) are acceptable.
If employer is being arsey about charts and written authority why on earth does he even consider working for him? I do hope this is not an unpaid trial.

 

[Bitterend]

If your son has good quals then other work will come his way... Your son is to be employed to do a job and as skipper he has a legal responsibility for the safety of the vessel and crew, including as delivery skipper. Most people ie reasonable people, will agree to a simple contract letter signed by both parties. My experience of tight-fisted individuals of several nationalities is that it starts out bad and just gets worse......every request is a trial, nerves get frayed and life is surely worth more

 

[ProMariner]

Sounds like the start of a great adventure. Being a well qualified master, it's his responsibility to educate the owner on legal requirements for crew qualifications, passage plan considerations, official sources of navigation info, vessel certification and record keeping. If he does all this right, relies on good seamanship, and can get a good team around him, he'll do fine. If he is new to the game, it may not be the best starter trip, but could advise the owner to hire a delivery skipper for the trip, possibly someone who knows the boat, and act himself as watch keeper.

In the commercial world, all crew should have their employments of contract available with all their certificates for inspection by owner, charterer, port state official etc, at all times, however this does not need to state the exact roll aboard, often just read 'according to the requirements of the vessel', I have never had company signed orders to read in as Master, I usually just tell folk, and they believe me.

Do you know the name of the boat? How big? How many crew?

 

[obmij]

I'd run a mile from that.

The cost of the mandatory nautical charts for the voyage is insignificant. Where else have costs been cut?

He needs an SEA, as do all of the crew.

He's got the tickets so will know all this anyway (& all the rest of his many obligations and responsibilities) but appreciate it is tempting to cut corners when an attractive job is on offer.

When pushed by an owner to cut corners I always imagine myself justifying the decision to do so to the MAIB..

..and then I say no.