A professional crew,
an impeccable administration.
MLC 2006 compliance, multi-currency payroll, seasonal rotations, STCW certifications and crisis situations: Cursorio operates the entirety of crew administration so your captain can focus on his profession and your vessel remains audit-ready.
On a superyacht, crew is the most sensitive budget line and the primary source of risk. A team of twelve to twenty people, often multi-national, operating across jurisdictions that change every season: the resulting administrative, fiscal and social burden is significant — and the consequences of an error, heavy.
The regulatory foundation is the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC), adopted by the ILO and now required by virtually every flag used by private yachts of 50 metres and above. It sets the minimum rights of seafarers: written contract, regulated hours, traceable pay, accommodation, healthcare, social security. Added to this is the STCW Code (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping), which defines the mandatory certifications for each on-board position.
Handling this in an amateur fashion — contracts downloaded off the internet, payroll run from the owner's personal SEPA transfers, expired ENG1 certificates going unnoticed — exposes the vessel to detention during Port State Control, to costly individual disputes, and to serious reputational risk. Cursorio operates crew administration with the tools, documentary rigour and network of a specialist firm — so your captain stays focused on navigation and your vessel remains permanently audit-ready.
Crew administration
worthy of the vessel.
A stable crew, no legal exposure.
You want a professional, motivated crew that stays for the long term. You do not want to become the direct employer in legal terms, nor to find yourself a party to an individual dispute with a crew member. Cursorio structures employment through flag-appropriate SEA contracts, operates payroll, and shields you from day-to-day litigation exposure.
- —SEA contracts aligned with the chosen flag
- —Payroll and social charges outsourced
- —Dispute management under legal supervision
Centralised crew KYC, audit-ready file.
You must be able to produce, at any time, the individual file of each crew member: contract, identity document, visa, certifications, address, history. Cursorio maintains a single repository for the entire crew, compliant with the family office's KYC requirements and with the letter of MLC 2006.
- —Single encrypted crew repository
- —Consolidated payroll exportable in one click
- —Monthly turnover and crew cost reporting
You lead your team.
We carry the admin.
A captain spends — according to industry studies — between fifteen and twenty hours a week on crew administration: contracts, visas, certificate renewals, WRH register, payroll, handling departures. That is time not devoted to safety, to the ongoing training of the team, to the relationship with the owner, or to preventive maintenance.
Our role is not to replace you in the human management of your crew — that is your profession, and we do not pretend to do it better than you. Our role is to give those hours back to you by taking on everything that can be handled in back office, and by giving you the right tools for the 20% that must remain in your hands.
All crew administration.
- —Drafting and management of SEA contracts
- —Monthly multi-currency payroll, payslips, charges
- —Individual files: ID, visa, medical, certifications
- —STCW, ENG1, visa and permit renewals
- —Repatriations, replacements, end-of-contract processing
- —P&I liaison for every crew-related claim
- —Sourcing and recruitment in line with your preferences
The craft and the leadership.
- —Cohesion and climate on board
- —Final selection among the candidates we present
- —Continuous training and skill progression
- —Enforcing rest hours during operations
- —Annual evaluations and succession
- —Quality of service to the owner and guests
- —The human judgment calls that belong to your authority
“A captain should not have to wrestle with an Excel spreadsheet after a sleepless watch. We take it off his hands.”
From initial audit
to ongoing management.
Crew diagnostic
Full review of existing contracts, STCW certification status, rest hours, medical cover, administrative files. A clear report of what is missing, what expires, and what must be corrected before the next flag state inspection.
MLC 2006 compliance
Drafting or overhaul of Seafarer Employment Agreements aligned with the flag, declaration to the maritime authority, posting of required on-board notices, crew complaint register, P&I coverage structure aligned with the Convention.
Recruitment & casting
Selective sourcing through our network of leading crew agencies (Wilsonhalligan, YPI Crew, Bluewater) and our own direct talent pool. Curated short-lists, structured interviews, reference checks, authentic verification of certifications.
Operational onboarding
Signed contracts, crew visas (B1/B2 for the US, Schengen, CARICOM), bank accounts opened, enrolment in social security schemes per flag, equipment provided, on-board procedure briefing.
Monthly multi-currency payroll
Centralised payroll processing in USD, EUR, GBP or AUD depending on contracts. Transfers on the 28th of each month, payslips issued, social contributions remitted, bonus and gratuity management.
Ongoing compliance
Maintenance of the Work and Rest Hours register (WRH), ENG1 medical follow-ups, STCW renewals, seasonal contract updates, notice periods and end-of-contract processing by the book.
Crisis & unforeseen events
Medical repatriation, replacement within 72 hours, handling of a contested dismissal, P&I insurer liaison for a crew incident, confidential processing of an on-board complaint.
Everything crew management covers.
Included in the monthly retainer of your management mandate, or available as a stand-alone service for vessels already managed in-house that only want to outsource crew administration.
- Drafting and management of Seafarer Employment Agreements (SEA) compliant with the chosen flag (MI, KY, IM, FR, BVI)
- Monthly multi-currency payroll: calculation, transfers, payslips, mandatory social declarations
- Work and Rest Hours register (WRH) with early-warning alerts before MLC breaches
- Individual tracking of STCW, ENG1 (Medical Fitness), Yachtmaster, Engineer, GMDSS, ECDIS, HELM, Security certifications
- Rotation planning and seasonal replacement management on a rolling 12-month horizon
- Sourcing and recruitment via our crew agency network and direct talent pool, with thorough reference checks
- Medical cover management, workplace accident insurance, repatriation and long-term sickness continuity
- P&I liaison (Britannia, NorthStandard, Steamship Mutual) for any crew-related claim
- Confidential handling of disputes, disciplinary procedures, end-of-contract settlements, flag-state jurisprudence
What you have, at any moment, in the crew file.
Individual crew file
A structured file per crew member: contract, certifications, visa, medical, history, evaluations.
WRH register maintained
MLC 2006 and STCW compliant. Automatic alerts when approaching regulatory thresholds.
Monthly payslip
Issued in the contract currency, kept in Cursorio Manager, accessible 24/7 by the crew member and the captain.
Certification matrix
Consolidated crew view with expiry dates and forward renewal plan (6 / 3 / 1 months).
Rotation schedule
12-month visibility on seasonal rotations, contractual leave and scheduled replacements.
Annual crew review
Turnover, total crew cost, variance vs budget, recommendations for the next season.
Two concrete cases, anonymised.
Real situations whose administration we handled. Client details and names withheld by ethical obligation.
M/Y 55 m · captain change and 70 % crew rotation
Context. Private superyacht coming out of a 9-month refit. Owner's decision to renew the captain, chief engineer and almost the entire interior crew. Deadline: 10 weeks before launch and the first private charter.
Scope. Short-list of three captain candidates (structured interviews, references taken on three vessels each), selection by the owner · coordinated recruitment with the chosen captain of 11 new crew members (chief stewardess, chefs, stewards, deckhands, second engineer) · drafting of 12 new SEAs under Marshall Islands flag · bank accounts opened, Schengen and B1/B2 visas, ENG1 and STCW verified · MLC posting on board, WRH register initialised, payroll circuit configured before launch.
Outcome. Full crew in place, contracts signed, MLC inspection passed with zero observations. First private charter completed without an administrative incident. No retroactive contributions, no crew complaint in the 12 months that followed.
M/Y 45 m · Tyrrhenian Sea · severe injury to a crew member
Incident. Twenty-two nautical miles off the Corsican coast, a second deckhand sustained a severe leg injury during a dinghy manoeuvre. Open fracture, infection risk, functional prognosis at stake if surgical intervention was delayed.
Cursorio response (within 3 hours). Activation of the MedAire medical protocol · coordination with the P&I insurer for cost coverage · helicopter evacuation request to the Italian authorities · organisation of the sanitary return flight to his home country after surgery · family liaison (flights, accommodation, daily updates) · in parallel, mobilisation of a qualified replacement deckhand reaching the vessel in Saint-Tropez 48 hours later to secure continuity of the cruise.
Outcome. Seafarer operated on in time, full recovery in three months, all costs covered by P&I, zero dispute, continuity of service on board preserved for the guests. The captain had only one decision to make: authorise the evacuation — everything else was coordinated in parallel by our on-call team.
What captains and owners ask us.
01 What is MLC 2006 and does it apply to my private yacht?
What is MLC 2006 and does it apply to my private yacht?
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 is the international convention adopted by the ILO setting out minimum rights for seafarers: written contracts, hours, rest, pay, accommodation, health, social security. It applies to virtually all commercial vessels and to many private yachts depending on flag and tonnage. Several superyacht flags (Cayman, Marshall Islands, Malta, Isle of Man) impose MLC compliance even on privately used yachts above 500 GT. Non-compliance exposes the vessel to detention during Port State Control, costly crew disputes, and serious reputational damage to the owner.
02 How do you manage payroll for a multi-national crew?
How do you manage payroll for a multi-national crew?
Payroll is processed centrally in Cursorio Manager, with a dedicated account per currency (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD). Each SEA contract specifies the currency, gross amount, applicable contributions and seasonal bonuses. We execute transfers on the 28th of each month through our operated bank accounts (HSBC, Revolut Business, Société Générale, Qonto), issue individual payslips and file the social declarations with the flag authority or applicable national schemes. Each crew member accesses their payslips and history through their personal login.
03 What is Cursorio's role in a dismissal or a crew dispute?
What is Cursorio's role in a dismissal or a crew dispute?
Our role is twofold: shield the owner and the captain from litigation exposure, and handle the situation by the letter of the contract and the flag. We prepare the procedure, document the facts up front, coordinate with maritime counsel when needed (flag-state jurisdiction applying), settle final pay, organise repatriation in line with MLC requirements, and manage the departure discreetly. In 90% of cases, a well-prepared procedure avoids litigation; in the remaining 10%, the file is rock-solid from day one.
04 Do you recruit directly or go through crew agencies?
Do you recruit directly or go through crew agencies?
Both, depending on the role and the season. We maintain a talent pool of personally known candidates (captain referrals, long-standing contacts) for trust positions (captain, chief engineer, chief stewardess). For junior posts or urgent seasonal replacements, we work with leading crew agencies — Wilsonhalligan, YPI Crew, Bluewater, Hill Robinson Crew — whom we brief on your vessel and expectations. In all cases: verification of certifications, independent reference checks, and a structured interview before any proposal.
05 What happens if a crew member falls ill far offshore?
What happens if a crew member falls ill far offshore?
We immediately activate the medical assistance protocol: remote consultation with a maritime physician (MedAire, CMAS or equivalent), coordination with the P&I insurer, arrangement of sanitary repatriation if required (helicopter evacuation, medically supervised return flight), liaison with the seafarer's family, and deployment of a replacement within 72 hours to secure continuity of service on board. The captain stays focused on vessel and guest safety; we absorb all the administrative and logistical coordination.
06 How do you track Work and Rest Hours (WRH)?
How do you track Work and Rest Hours (WRH)?
Work and Rest Hours are recorded daily via Cursorio Manager, per watch and per crew member, in line with MLC 2006 and the STCW Code (minimum 10 hours of rest per 24 hours, 77 hours per 7 days). The system alerts the captain and manager as soon as a risk of breach appears, enables forward schedule adjustments, and retains an auditable history for Port State Control inspections. Each month, a WRH recap is archived in the crew file.
Entrust us with your crew administration.
A one-hour conversation is enough to diagnose your current crew situation and flag urgent corrections, if any. Confidential, no commitment.
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