Emergency contact plan — for families

Most families of seafarers never face a serious emergency. But the time to build a contact plan is before the contract starts — not during a crisis. This page is the family-side companion to the emergency contact plan tool, which the seafarer should complete before departure. Here, the focus is on what the family at home should collect, store, and know — so that if something happens, the right numbers are reachable immediately, regardless of whether the internet is working or a phone is charged.

Numbers to collect before departure

At minimum, every seafarer family should have these contacts recorded before the ship sails:

Manning agency — 24-hour emergency line.The agency that placed your family member on the vessel. Most reputable agencies maintain a duty officer line outside business hours. This is your first call in almost any emergency involving the vessel or the seafarer's welfare.
Vessel operator / shipowner — duty officer. The company that operates the ship. In a medical or safety emergency, the operator has direct communication with the master. Their emergency line should be provided in the joining letter or the DMLC Part II document.
P&I club — correspondence address and emergency line.The club name and policy reference appear in the DMLC Part II. In a medical emergency requiring shore-side treatment or repatriation, the P&I club authorises and funds care. Knowing which club is involved saves critical time.
ISWAN SeafarerHelp — 24/7 free helpline. +44 20 7323 2737 or via web chat at iswan.org.uk/seafarerhelp. Free, multilingual, and available around the clock. ISWAN can help families contact the right authorities and provide emotional support.
ITF — International Transport Workers' Federation. itfseafarers.org — the ITF maintains an inspector network in major ports and a 24-hour campaign line. For abandonment, unpaid wages, or serious welfare concerns, the ITF is a powerful advocate.
Flag-state maritime authority and consulate.The flag of the vessel is in the joining letter. The flag state's maritime authority is the regulatory body; the flag-state consulate in your country is the formal next-of-kin contact in a serious incident.

Why a paper copy matters

A phone can be lost, a battery can die, and a cloud service can be inaccessible in a power cut or during a crisis. A single A4 sheet with the six contacts above, stored in a fixed location at home — the kitchen drawer, the back of the passport folder — costs nothing and is accessible to anyone in the household. Write the ship name, IMO number, and current trading route on the same sheet. The IMO number does not change; it allows anyone to look up the vessel on free public AIS tracking tools such as MarineTraffic or VesselFinder even without knowing the exact position.

What to tell children

Children do not need the full emergency plan — they need one clear action and one trusted number. For primary-school-age children: they know who to go to in an emergency (the nearest trusted adult). For older children: the ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact in the phone — a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or family friend — is their first call. Teenagers can be told about the manning agency number and what it is for, without being given responsibility for using it. The goal is age-appropriate confidence, not anxiety. See also children and long absences.

P&I cover — what families should know

P&I (Protection and Indemnity) insurance is carried by the shipowner through mutual clubs. Under MLC 2006 Standard A4.2, shipowners are required to provide financial security for seafarers' claims relating to illness, injury, and death — including the cost of medical care, hospitalisation, repatriation, and compensation. The DMLC (Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance) Part II document identifies the insurer. Key practical points for families:

Medical treatment and hospitalisation costs are covered — the family should not be asked to pay upfront for treatment arising from a work-related incident.
Repatriation is covered under MLC Standard A2.5 — the cost of bringing a seriously ill or injured seafarer home is the shipowner's (and therefore P&I club's) responsibility.
Death-in-service compensation and outstanding wages are also P&I liabilities — see injury and death compensation for amounts and process.
If the P&I club or operator refuses to assist, contact the ITF immediately.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the first person to call if I have an emergency about my family member on board?
The manning agency is the first point of contact in almost every scenario — they have a direct line to the vessel operator and can relay urgent messages to the ship. They should have provided a 24-hour emergency contact number when your family member signed the contract. If they did not, request it before departure. The vessel operator's duty officer line is the second contact — for serious medical or safety emergencies, the operator may be more directly useful than the agency.
What is P&I cover and does it help my family?
P&I stands for Protection and Indemnity — it is the liability insurance carried by shipowners through mutual clubs (e.g. Gard, Steamship Mutual, the UK P&I Club). P&I cover includes the shipowner's liability for crew illness, injury, death, repatriation, and abandonment. If your family member is seriously ill or injured at sea, the P&I club funds medical treatment and repatriation at no cost to the seafarer or their family. The club details (which club, which policy number) should appear in the DMLC Part II document — ask for a copy before departure. See also /rights/injury-death-compensation.
What should I tell a young child to do in an emergency?
Children old enough to use a phone should have one number memorised or saved as an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact: the most trusted adult in the household or a close family member. They do not need to know the full emergency plan. Older children (teenagers) can be given the manning agency number and told it is the number to call if they cannot reach Mum or Dad at home. Keep the plan age-appropriate — the goal is confidence, not anxiety.
What happens if a ship is lost and there is no news?
In a major incident (ship in distress, grounding, fire at sea), the flag-state maritime authority and the IMO are notified by the vessel or a nearby vessel via GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System). The shipowner's P&I club and the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) are usually involved quickly. The flag-state consulate in the seafarer's home country is the formal point of contact for next-of-kin in serious incidents. The ITF also maintains a 24-hour line for families of seafarers in distress. ISWAN SeafarerHelp operates 24/7 and can help coordinate contact with the right authorities.

Primary sources

The manning agency is the first point of contact in almost every scenario — they have a direct line to the vessel operator and can relay urgent messages to the ship. They should have provided a 24-hour emergency contact number when your family member signed the contract. If they did not, request it before departure. The vessel operator's duty officer line is the second contact — for serious medical or safety emergencies, the operator may be more directly useful than the agency.

What is P&I cover and does it help my family?

P&I stands for Protection and Indemnity — it is the liability insurance carried by shipowners through mutual clubs (e.g. Gard, Steamship Mutual, the UK P&I Club). P&I cover includes the shipowner's liability for crew illness, injury, death, repatriation, and abandonment. If your family member is seriously ill or injured at sea, the P&I club funds medical treatment and repatriation at no cost to the seafarer or their family. The club details (which club, which policy number) should appear in the DMLC Part II document — ask for a copy before departure. See also /rights/injury-death-compensation.

What should I tell a young child to do in an emergency?

Children old enough to use a phone should have one number memorised or saved as an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact: the most trusted adult in the household or a close family member. They do not need to know the full emergency plan. Older children (teenagers) can be given the manning agency number and told it is the number to call if they cannot reach Mum or Dad at home. Keep the plan age-appropriate — the goal is confidence, not anxiety.

What happens if a ship is lost and there is no news?

In a major incident (ship in distress, grounding, fire at sea), the flag-state maritime authority and the IMO are notified by the vessel or a nearby vessel via GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System). The shipowner's P&I club and the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) are usually involved quickly. The flag-state consulate in the seafarer's home country is the formal point of contact for next-of-kin in serious incidents. The ITF also maintains a 24-hour line for families of seafarers in distress. ISWAN SeafarerHelp operates 24/7 and can help coordinate contact with the right authorities.