What Yacht Crew Should Know About Contract Changes During Management Transitions

Yacht management transitions onboard can sometimes lead to significant operational and contractual changes for crew. In this anonymous account shared with Superyacht Content, one crew member reflects on their experience following a transition in yacht management and why carefully reviewing employment terms is important.

I was part of a professional crew onboard a yacht that was listed for sale. During this period, a new yacht management company was brought in. At the time, all crew were employed under MLC-compliant Seafarer Employment Agreements (SEA), which included a 30-day notice period.

Following the management transition, all crew were issued new contracts. These contracts included a key change: the notice period was reduced from 30 days to 7 days.

Shortly after these new agreements were put in place, all rotational crew were terminated.

The impact of the revised contracts became clear at this point. The reduced 7-day notice period was not worked in the usual sense. Instead, it was deducted directly from accrued leave balances.

In practice, this meant:

• No opportunity to work through a notice period
• No real transition time to secure new employment
• Loss of earned leave to cover the shortened notice

For crew, this created immediate financial and logistical pressure, particularly given the proximity between signing the new contracts and the terminations that followed.

Why This Matters

Management changes can bring operational improvements, but they can also introduce rapid changes to employment terms. When notice periods are reduced and contracts are reissued, crew may find themselves with far less protection than they previously had.

Even when actions may be contractually permissible, the outcome can still significantly affect crew welfare.

Points for Crew to Consider

• Treat any new contract during a management change as a completely new agreement
• Look closely at notice periods and termination clauses
• Clarify how accrued leave can be used in termination scenarios
• Don’t assume previous terms will carry over

Final Thought

Situations like this are a reminder that contract terms matter—especially during times of transition. Being informed and cautious when signing new agreements can make a significant difference if circumstances change quickly.

Have you experienced changes to your employment terms during a management transition onboard? Superyacht Content welcomes anonymous crew perspectives and industry insights intended to support awareness and discussion across the sector.

Superyacht Content has also previously shared a guide to dealing with issues onboard.