Practical definitions for vessel operators, shipowners, fleet managers, crewing managers, manning agencies and agency owners comparing crew matching, vacancy publishing, seafarer submissions, document tracking and fleet-planning workflows.
Terms used around vacancies, vessel manning, fleet status, crew changes and operator-side submission review.
Terms used around agency requests, seafarer profiles, availability, submissions, documents and planning calendars.
Terms connected to STCW, MLC 2006, flag state, seaman books, visas, medical certificates and expiry tracking.
Common seafarer roles, officer ranks and rating positions used in maritime crewing, vessel manning and candidate submissions.
A seafarer is a person employed, engaged or working in any capacity on board a vessel. In B2B maritime crewing, the term is preferred over casual wording such as sailor because it covers officers, ratings, technical crew and service crew.
Crew2Sea structures seafarer profiles around rank, documents, availability, sea service, medical status and submission history so operators and agencies can review the same facts.
A crew member is any person assigned to work on board a vessel during a voyage, project or contract period. The term can include deck, engine, catering, hotel, project and specialist personnel depending on the vessel type.
Operators need to know whether a crew member fills a required complement position, and agencies need to know whether that person is available, documented and suitable for the vacancy.
Rank is the formal position a seafarer holds on board, such as Master, Chief Officer, Chief Engineer, Able Seaman or Cook. Rank usually determines required certificates, experience, responsibilities and reporting line.
A vacancy must specify rank clearly because STCW, CoC, flag-state, vessel-type and experience checks depend on it.
An officer is a certificated seafarer with operational or management responsibility, commonly on the deck or engine side. Examples include Master, Chief Officer, Second Officer, Chief Engineer and Second Engineer.
Officer vacancies often require specific Certificates of Competency, endorsements, sea-service history and vessel-type experience.
A rating is a non-officer crew member who performs operational, maintenance, deck, engine or service duties. Common examples include Able Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Bosun, Pumpman, Cook and Steward.
Ratings still require structured document and experience checks, especially where vessel type, watchkeeping, cargo operations or client requirements apply.
Also known as: Captain
The Master is the person in command of the vessel and responsible for its safe operation, crew, cargo and compliance with applicable requirements. In crewing workflows, Master vacancies are high-sensitivity roles with strict document and experience expectations.
Matching a Master requires more than a title match. Operators usually need vessel-type experience, management-level certificates, flag or client approvals and clear availability.
Also known as: Chief Mate, First Officer
The Chief Officer is the senior deck officer below the Master. The role commonly covers cargo operations, deck department management, safety duties and watchkeeping responsibilities.
Chief Officer submissions must be checked against rank, vessel type, certificates, medical validity, availability window and sometimes project or client approvals.
A deck officer is responsible for navigation, watchkeeping, cargo operations and deck-side vessel duties according to rank and certification. Deck officers include Chief Officer, Second Officer and Third Officer.
Deck officer matching often depends on STCW management or operational level, vessel type, route, bridge experience and flag-state requirements.
The Chief Engineer is the senior engineer responsible for the vessel's machinery, engine department and technical operation. The role normally requires management-level engineering certification and relevant vessel or engine experience.
A Chief Engineer vacancy should include engine power, vessel type, contract dates, certificate requirements and experience thresholds so agencies do not submit underqualified candidates.
Also known as: ETO
An Electro-Technical Officer is a technical crew member responsible for electrical, electronic and automation systems on board. The role is especially important on modern vessels with complex electrical and control systems.
ETO requirements can vary strongly by vessel type, equipment profile and flag or company policy, so they need structured vacancy fields rather than free-text notes.
Also known as: AB
An Able Seaman is an experienced deck rating who may perform watchkeeping, maintenance, mooring, cargo and safety duties. Requirements vary by vessel, flag, trading area and company policy.
AB submissions should still be checked for documents, seaman's book, medical validity, sea service and joining availability.
Also known as: OS
An Ordinary Seaman is an entry-level or junior deck rating who supports deck operations under supervision. The role may be used as a development step toward Able Seaman depending on sea time and training.
Even junior ranks need correct identity, medical, seaman's book, visa and availability data before submission.
The Bosun is a senior deck rating who supervises deck crew and coordinates deck maintenance, mooring and operational tasks under the deck officers. The role is common across many commercial vessel types.
Bosun experience should be matched by vessel type and operational context, not only by rank title.
A Pumpman is a tanker rating specialized in cargo pumps, valves, pipelines and cargo-system operations. The position is most relevant on oil and chemical tankers.
Pumpman vacancies often require tanker-specific experience, training and approvals, so generic rating matching is not enough.
A cadet is a trainee officer gaining practical sea time and onboard experience as part of maritime education. Cadets may be deck, engine or electro-technical depending on their training route.
Cadet planning still affects complement, rotation, travel, documentation and onboard availability.
Terms used when vessel operators, shipowners, ship managers and crewing agencies coordinate vacancies, requests and submissions.
A vessel operator is the organization responsible for operating a vessel or fleet in daily commercial and technical practice. In crewing, the operator defines open positions, vessel requirements, contract windows and candidate review criteria.
Crew2Sea's operator workflow focuses on structured vacancy publishing, agency release control, candidate comparison, fleet manning and document risk.
A shipowner is the legal or commercial owner of a vessel or fleet. Some shipowners manage crewing internally, while others delegate technical or crew management to a ship manager or external provider.
Shipowners often need fleet visibility, document confidence and a practical way to work with trusted crewing agencies.
A ship manager manages operational, technical, crewing or commercial functions on behalf of a shipowner. In crewing workflows, a ship manager may act like the operator when publishing vacancies and reviewing agency submissions.
The same structured vacancy, submission and document logic applies whether the buyer is a shipowner, vessel operator or ship manager.
A crewing agency recruits, manages or supplies seafarer candidates for vessel operators and ship managers. Agencies maintain candidate pools, document records, availability data and relationships with operators.
Crew2Sea gives agencies a structured way to see live vacancy requirements, check fit before submission and track what happened after the CV left the agency.
Manning agency is another common term for an organization that sources and manages seafarers for shipowners, operators or ship managers.
Manning agencies need structured crew pools, document records, availability status and submission tracking so candidates can be matched to live operator requirements.
A crew manager is responsible for crew planning, vacancies, documents, rotations, travel, agency communication and placement decisions. The role may sit inside an operator, ship manager or crewing agency.
Crew managers often feel the pain of fragmented email, WhatsApp, spreadsheets, BCC vacancy requests and missing document status.
A crewing coordinator handles the operational work of filling vacancies, checking candidate data, chasing agencies, arranging crew changes and keeping documents current. It is a high-pressure role when several vessels need crew at the same time.
Action queues, structured submissions and shared status help coordinators spend less time chasing updates and more time making decisions.
An agency network is the set of crewing or manning agencies an operator works with. Relationships may be priority, connected, backup, inactive or public depending on trust and vacancy needs.
A structured agency network lets operators release vacancies to the right partners first instead of sending one BCC email to everyone.
A priority agency is a trusted crewing partner that receives selected vacancies before a wider group of agencies. Operators use this approach to protect strong relationships and reduce uncontrolled submission volume.
Priority release supports a phased vacancy workflow where the best-fit agencies see the request first.
A connected company is an operator or agency with an accepted working relationship inside a platform workflow. The relationship can govern which vacancies, submissions or document requests are visible.
Connected company logic helps both sides collaborate without exposing unrelated private data.
Operational terms used from publishing a maritime vacancy to reviewing candidate submissions and contracting one seafarer.
A vacancy is an open crew position that needs to be filled for a vessel, rank, joining window and contract period. Operators usually think in vacancies once a gap in the planning has become an actual hiring need.
A structured vacancy is the foundation of good matching because it defines rank, vessel type, documents, experience, availability and approvals before agencies submit candidates.
Also known as: Aanvraag
A request is the agency-facing version of an operator's vacancy. In Dutch market language, operators often say vacancy while agencies may refer to the incoming work as an aanvraag.
Using the right wording helps both sides understand the same workflow without forcing one side's internal language on the other.
Uitvraag is Dutch-market wording for sending a crew request out to one or more agencies. It describes the moment an operator distributes a vacancy to external partners.
This is exactly the workflow that becomes messy when handled by BCC email, phone calls and spreadsheets.
Open shift is a term some crew management systems use for a gap in the crew plan. It can describe a role that needs to be filled before it becomes a formal vacancy request.
Planning gaps become harder to manage when they are not connected to vacancy creation, agency submissions and crew-change timing.
Also known as: Gat in de planning
A planning gap is a missing crew member, uncovered rank or future shortage in the vessel plan. It may be visible before the operator formally publishes a vacancy.
The earlier a planning gap becomes a structured vacancy, the less likely the vessel is to become short-handed.
Vacancy publishing is the process of creating and releasing a structured maritime crew requirement to selected agencies. A good vacancy includes vessel, rank, contract dates, joining location, document requirements, experience and visibility rules.
Structured vacancy publishing reduces interpretation errors and lowers the number of unqualified CVs an operator receives.
A visibility phase controls which agencies can see a vacancy at a given moment. A vacancy may be released first to priority agencies, then connected agencies, and later a wider network if needed.
Visibility phases help operators keep trusted partners first without flooding the vacancy with unsuitable candidates.
A public vacancy is visible beyond a private agency relationship or priority release group. It may be useful when an operator wants wider market reach after priority partners have had time to respond.
Public visibility should be controlled so operators do not receive uncontrolled bulk CVs before preferred agencies have a fair chance.
A submission is a candidate package sent by an agency to an operator for a specific vacancy. It can include structured profile data, document evidence, availability, day rate, messages and match information.
A submission should not be just an email attachment. It should be tied to the vacancy, agency, candidate, documents and decision status.
A candidate submission is the act of proposing a specific seafarer for a specific vacancy. The submission should show what matches, what is missing and which documents or clarifications the operator may need.
Structured candidate submissions help operators compare candidates fairly and help agencies avoid sending blind CVs.
A submission pipeline is the set of statuses a candidate moves through after being submitted. Typical stages include Submitted, Under Review, Clarification Required, Shortlisted, Offered, Contracted and Rejected.
A visible pipeline reduces silence after submission and gives agencies a clear way to manage candidate expectations.
Submission status shows where a candidate is in the decision process. Status can indicate whether the candidate is newly submitted, under review, waiting for clarification, shortlisted, offered, contracted or rejected.
Status visibility replaces repeated email and phone follow-ups with one shared view of what happened.
Clarification Required is a submission status used when the operator needs more information before making a decision. The missing information may be a document, date, approval, experience detail or availability confirmation.
This status keeps questions tied to the candidate and vacancy instead of scattering them across email threads.
Shortlisted means a candidate has passed initial review and remains under serious consideration for the vacancy. It does not mean the candidate is hired or finally approved.
Clear status wording helps agencies manage expectations without overpromising to the seafarer.
Offered means the operator or relevant party has moved toward offering the position to the candidate, subject to the normal commercial, medical, document or contract steps. The exact meaning depends on the operator's process.
Separating Offered from Contracted prevents agencies from treating a likely placement as final before all checks are complete.
Contracted means a candidate has been selected and the vacancy is effectively filled through the placement workflow. Other submissions can then be closed or rejected with a clear outcome.
Closing the loop prevents agencies from continuing work on a filled vacancy and helps maintain placement history.
Candidate comparison is the process of reviewing multiple seafarer submissions against the same vacancy requirements. It is difficult when every agency sends a different CV format by email.
Structured profiles allow operators to compare rank, experience, availability, documents and match gaps without rebuilding the context manually.
An action queue is a prioritized list of submissions, vacancies or document items that need attention. It can show candidates waiting for review, aged submissions, urgent vacancies or missing decisions.
An action queue helps operators avoid forgetting agency submissions until candidates age out or agencies lose trust.
A decision trail is the record of status changes, messages, document requests and outcomes connected to a vacancy or submission. It is the operational history behind a placement decision.
Decision trails make crewing work more traceable than scattered email, WhatsApp, phone calls and private spreadsheets.
Documents, certificates, expiry concepts and evidence fields used in seafarer profiles and maritime crew submissions.
Also known as: CoC, COC
A Certificate of Competency is an official certificate showing that a seafarer is qualified for a particular function, level and capacity. It is commonly central to officer and engineering roles.
CoC data should be checked against rank, vessel requirements, flag requirements, limitations and contract dates before submission.
Also known as: CoP, COP
A Certificate of Proficiency confirms training or competence in a specific maritime task or safety function. Examples may relate to tanker operations, survival craft, security or other required functions.
Vacancies may require specific proficiency certificates depending on vessel type, cargo, route and company policy.
STCW stands for the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. It sets minimum international standards for training, certification and watchkeeping.
Many rank, training and certificate requirements trace back to STCW, so crewing teams need STCW-related records visible during matching and review.
STCW 2010 commonly refers to the Manila amendments to the STCW Convention. These amendments updated training, certification and watchkeeping requirements for modern maritime operations.
Many seafarer documents and refresher requirements are discussed using STCW 2010 wording, so it belongs in a maritime crewing glossary.
An STCW training record is the documented evidence of required training courses, endorsements or refreshers related to STCW obligations. It may include dates, issuing bodies and expiry information.
Agencies and operators need to know whether training is current for the rank, vessel type and contract period.
A medical certificate confirms that a seafarer meets medical fitness requirements for service at sea according to applicable rules and employer requirements. It normally has a valid-until date.
Medical validity should be checked against the expected contract end date, not only against the joining date.
Medical status is the recorded state of a seafarer's medical fitness documentation, such as valid, expired, missing or requiring review. It is usually paired with a medical valid-until date.
A candidate can look available but still be blocked if medical documentation is missing or expires before the contract ends.
A passport is a national identity and travel document required for international crew travel. In crewing workflows, passport validity is often checked alongside visa, joining location and contract dates.
A passport that expires too soon can block travel or crew change even if the seafarer otherwise matches the vacancy.
Also known as: Seaman book, Seafarer's book, CDC
A seaman's book is a seafarer identity and service record document issued by a flag state or maritime authority. It may be required for travel, employment or proof of sea service depending on the operation.
Crew2Sea product screens track seaman's books by issuing country, number, issue date and valid-until date because these fields affect submission readiness.
Also known as: Continuous Discharge Certificate
CDC can refer to a Continuous Discharge Certificate or similar seafarer service document depending on the jurisdiction. It is often used in the same operational family as seaman's book documentation.
Different agencies and nationalities may use different document names, so structured profiles need flexible document categories.
A visa is a travel or entry authorization required by a country or route. In maritime crewing, visa requirements depend on nationality, joining location, trading area and the vessel's itinerary.
Visa gaps can stop an otherwise suitable seafarer from joining on time, so visa status belongs in the match and document check.
An endorsement is an official recognition, limitation, authorization or additional qualification connected to a seafarer's certificate. Endorsements may relate to flag state, vessel type, function or cargo.
A certificate title alone may not be enough. Operators often need to review endorsements and limitations for the actual vacancy.
Licence limits are restrictions attached to a certificate or licence, such as tonnage, engine power, trading area, vessel type or operational capacity. They define where and how the certificate can be used.
A candidate may have a valid certificate but still fail the vacancy if the limits do not cover the vessel.
Document evidence is the uploaded file or record proving that a certificate, visa, medical, passport or approval exists. It is different from merely typing a date into a spreadsheet.
Operators and agencies need the structured field and the evidence file to stay connected to the same seafarer and submission.
A document request is a specific request from one party to provide a missing or updated file for a candidate submission. It should identify exactly which document is needed and remain tied to the vacancy.
Structured document requests reduce vague email chains and make it clear what is blocking a candidate review.
File sharing is the controlled exchange of document evidence between an agency and an operator. In maritime crewing, files may include passports, certificates, medicals, visas and approvals.
Controlled file sharing is more deliberate than sending permanent copies through email or generic transfer links.
Access expiry is a time limit on how long a shared document remains available to another party. It is a practical control for sensitive crew documents.
Access expiry helps agencies share documents for a specific submission without leaving every file permanently available.
A document expiry radar groups documents by how soon they expire, often using 30, 60 and 90 day windows. It can be used across a crew pool or scoped to placed crew on a vessel.
Expiry radar helps teams see certificate, medical, visa and licence risk before a crew change or inspection creates pressure.
Docs at risk are documents that are missing, expired or likely to expire during a relevant planning window or contract period. The term is useful at both fleet and vessel level.
An operator may have zero fleet-wide alerts but still need vessel-scoped visibility for documents affecting a specific crew change.
A document alert is a warning that a seafarer document needs attention. It may be triggered by expiry date, missing evidence, contract-end-date risk or a vacancy requirement.
Alerts help crewing teams act before an expired certificate, medical, passport or visa blocks a placement.
A contract-end-date check compares document validity with the expected end of the seafarer's assignment, not only with the joining date. It is especially important for certificates, medicals, visas and passports.
A document valid at sign-on can still expire before sign-off. Checking to contract end makes mid-contract risk visible before placement.
Regulatory, audit and maritime compliance terms that appear in crew documentation and vessel requirements.
MLC 2006 is the Maritime Labour Convention, an international framework for seafarer working and living conditions. In crew workflows, it is often discussed alongside contracts, medical fitness, documentation and employment conditions.
Crew2Sea can help keep MLC-relevant crew, contract and document data visible, but it does not replace legal or flag-state review.
The flag state is the country under whose laws a vessel is registered. It can affect manning, certification, endorsements, inspections and document requirements.
A vacancy should include flag-related requirements because a candidate who fits one flag may need additional documents or endorsements for another.
Flag-state requirements are the rules, documents and qualifications required by the vessel's flag administration. They may interact with STCW, MLC, endorsements and minimum safe manning rules.
Structured vacancy requirements make flag-state related checks visible before a candidate reaches final review.
Also known as: PSC
Port State Control is the inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify compliance with international requirements. Inspectors may review certificates, crew documents and operational records.
Expired or missing crew documents can create operational and compliance pressure, so document risk should be visible before the vessel reaches that point.
A PSC inspection is a Port State Control inspection carried out by authorities when a vessel is in port. Crew documentation can be part of the inspection scope.
Operators want to avoid discovering expired documents only when an inspector asks for them.
Also known as: MSM
Minimum Safe Manning is the required minimum crew complement needed for safe operation of a vessel. It is normally documented through a minimum safe manning certificate or equivalent flag-state requirement.
Fleet manning software should show whether required positions are filled, open or connected to an active vacancy pipeline.
A dispensation is a temporary permission or exception allowing a vessel or seafarer situation to continue under specific conditions. The exact meaning and authority depend on flag, role and regulatory context.
Dispensations should not be treated as routine matching data. They require careful review by the responsible operator and relevant authority.
Compliance review is the human and organizational process of checking whether a seafarer, document set, vessel requirement or placement satisfies applicable rules and policies. Software can support this work but does not replace responsibility for the review.
This distinction matters because match scores and document checks are decision support, not legal, medical or flag-state approvals.
An audit trail is a traceable record of actions, status changes, document requests, messages and outcomes. In crewing, it helps show what happened during a vacancy or submission workflow.
An audit-friendly workflow is stronger than disconnected email because the evidence remains tied to the vacancy, candidate and decision.
GDPR-aware handling means designing processes around appropriate visibility, access control, retention, lawful processing and careful treatment of personal data. It should not be confused with making an unconditional legal compliance claim without the supporting documentation.
Seafarer profiles contain sensitive personal and document data, so platforms should be careful about who can see which records and for how long.
Seafarer data includes identity, nationality, contact, document, medical, availability, sea-service, employment and submission information. Some of this data can be sensitive or operationally confidential.
Operators should only see what is intentionally submitted or shared, while agencies need to protect their wider candidate pool.
RightShip is an industry platform associated with vessel safety, sustainability and risk management. It appears in maritime buyer vocabulary even when it is not directly part of a crew matching workflow.
Including terms like RightShip helps a glossary reflect the wider maritime compliance and vetting vocabulary buyers recognize.
BIMCO is a major international shipping association known for maritime contracts, clauses and industry guidance. Crewing teams may encounter BIMCO wording in crew-related agreements or operational documentation.
BIMCO terminology can appear in crew-related agreements and operational documentation, but software should not turn that vocabulary into an unsupported legal claim.
SOLAS is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. It is a core maritime safety convention and part of the vocabulary surrounding vessel operation and compliance.
Crewing software does not replace SOLAS compliance, but maritime buyers expect serious platforms to understand the regulatory vocabulary around safe operations.
MARPOL is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. It concerns pollution prevention and environmental obligations in vessel operations.
MARPOL is not a crew matching feature, but it is part of the regulatory vocabulary maritime teams may encounter around vessel operations.
IMO stands for the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for maritime safety, security and pollution prevention standards. Many maritime conventions and standards are associated with IMO work.
IMO vocabulary appears across STCW, SOLAS, MARPOL, vessel identity and maritime regulation, so it is useful context for crewing teams.
ILO stands for the International Labour Organization. In maritime crewing, ILO is especially relevant through the Maritime Labour Convention, MLC 2006.
The term helps connect crew documentation and employment conditions to the wider international labour framework.
Terms used when planning sign-on, sign-off, rotations, availability windows, joining dates and contract periods.
A crew change is the process of replacing one or more crew members on a vessel. It includes off-signers, replacements, travel, joining dates, documentation and operational timing.
Crew change planning is where vacancy, document, availability and vessel context must come together before the vessel becomes short-handed.
Sign-on is the moment a seafarer joins a vessel or begins the onboard assignment. It is often tied to travel arrangements, joining location and contract start.
Documents must be valid at sign-on, but good crewing workflows also check whether they remain valid through sign-off.
Sign-off is the moment a seafarer leaves a vessel or completes the onboard assignment. It can be planned in advance through rotation, contract duration or crew change schedules.
Sign-off dates drive replacement planning and contract-end-date document checks.
An off-signer is a crew member scheduled to leave the vessel. The off-signer creates a replacement need if the required position must remain filled.
A crew-change panel should show off-signers, days remaining, replacement status and on-board date so teams act early.
A replacement is the seafarer intended to take over from an off-signer or fill an open position. Replacement planning links the vacancy pipeline to the vessel schedule.
A replacement is not ready until availability, documents, travel, contract window and operator decision are aligned.
The joining date is the planned date a seafarer should join the vessel. It may be a fixed date or a window depending on port calls, travel and operational constraints.
Agencies should confirm availability for the exact joining window before submitting a candidate.
Embarkation is the act or planned point of boarding a vessel. In vacancy screens, embarkation often appears as a date, location or joining window.
Embarkation drives travel, visa, passport and availability checks.
Joining location is the port, city, country or region where a seafarer is expected to join the vessel. It may affect visas, travel time and candidate feasibility.
A candidate can match the rank and documents but still fail if the joining location is not realistic for the availability window.
Current location port is the port or location where a seafarer is currently based or expected to be available. Agencies may record it when assessing whether the candidate can join on time.
Location data improves practical matching because travel feasibility matters in urgent crew changes.
An availability window is the period during which a seafarer is available for assignment. It is usually recorded as available-from and available-to dates.
Availability must overlap the vacancy's joining and contract needs, otherwise the candidate may be unsuitable even with correct documents.
Available from is the first date a seafarer can realistically join or start a new assignment. It may depend on current contract, leave, travel or personal status.
Operators need this date before reviewing a candidate for an urgent vacancy.
Available to is the latest date a seafarer remains available for a proposed assignment or joining window. It helps determine whether the candidate can support the required contract duration.
A candidate who is available briefly may not fit a longer contract or later joining date.
A crew contract is the employment or assignment agreement governing a seafarer's service period, compensation and conditions. The exact legal form depends on the employer, vessel, flag and applicable rules.
Contract dates are essential for document validity checks and replacement planning.
Also known as: SEA
A Seafarer Employment Agreement is the employment agreement for a seafarer under applicable maritime labour rules. It can include role, period, wages, leave, repatriation and other employment conditions.
SEA-related data is part of the wider MLC and crew contract context, but the platform does not replace legal review of the agreement.
The contract start date is the planned or agreed date a seafarer assignment begins. It may align with sign-on or a related administrative date.
Start dates help calculate availability, duration, document needs and replacement timing.
The contract end date is the expected end of the seafarer's assignment. It may differ from the date used for initial travel or joining.
Checking documents against contract end date is one of the clearest ways to avoid certificates expiring mid-contract.
Contract duration is the length of the seafarer's assignment, often expressed in weeks or months. It connects rank requirement, availability and document validity.
A candidate's documents and availability must cover the duration, not just the start of the vacancy.
Rotation is the planned cycle of time on board and time off for a seafarer or position. Rotation planning is common in fleet and agency scheduling.
Rotation gaps can become urgent vacancies if the replacement is not identified early.
On board means the seafarer is currently assigned to and serving on a vessel. In planning views, it is a status that helps agencies understand who is not immediately available.
Availability, replacement planning and document risk all depend on knowing who is on board and until when.
On leave means a seafarer is between assignments or away from active onboard service. It does not automatically mean the seafarer is available for a new vacancy.
Agencies still need to confirm contactability, willingness, documents and joining window before submission.
Vessel, fleet and planning terms that connect open positions, complement, on-board crew and document risk.
A fleet is a group of vessels managed by an owner, operator or ship manager. Fleets can include different vessel types, flags, regions and crewing models.
Fleet-level crewing software should show open vacancies, crew changes, document alerts and manning status across all vessels.
A vessel is a ship, boat or specialized marine unit used for commercial, offshore, passenger, cargo or support operations. In crewing systems, a vessel record includes operational and crewing context.
Vessel data prevents teams from repeating the same IMO, flag, type, GT, engine power, DP class and region information in every vacancy.
Vessel type describes the operational category of a vessel, such as bulk carrier, tanker, offshore support vessel, dredger or passenger vessel. Requirements can differ widely by vessel type.
A seafarer with the right rank may still be a poor fit if they lack relevant vessel-type experience.
Fleet manning is the overview of how crew positions are filled across multiple vessels. It connects required complement, on-board crew, vacancies and upcoming crew changes.
Fleet teams need to know which vessels are fully covered and which positions require action without opening several spreadsheets.
Crew complement is the required or actual number of crew members assigned to a vessel or specific department. It can be shown as required versus filled positions.
Complement tracking shows whether a vessel is undermanned or whether open positions still need vacancies and submissions.
An open position is a required vessel role that is not yet filled. It may become a vacancy when the operator starts sourcing candidates through agencies.
Linking open positions to vacancies keeps vessel context and candidate review in the same workflow.
A vessel dashboard is a view focused on one vessel's complement, open positions, on-board crew, document risk, crew cost and vacancy pipeline. It gives crewing teams vessel-specific context.
A vessel dashboard prevents fleet-level averages from hiding urgent issues on one vessel.
On-board crew is the list of seafarers currently assigned to a vessel. It may include rank, name, nationality, contract dates, rate, rotation and status.
Operators need on-board crew data near the vacancy pipeline so replacements and document risk are not managed in separate systems.
Average fill time is the historical time it takes to fill a vacancy, often by vessel, rank or vacancy type. It can help teams understand whether a current vacancy is already running late.
Without fill-time context, operators may not know which vacancies need escalation until the joining date is too close.
Monthly crew cost is the running cost of the current crew complement over a month, often based on day rates, currency and current assignments. Actual implementation depends on entered commercial data.
Cost visibility helps operations and finance discuss crew planning from the same data rather than from estimates.
Day rate is the daily pay or commercial rate associated with a seafarer or vacancy. It is often recorded with a currency and may vary by rank, contract, market or agency.
Day rate appears in both operator vacancy review and agency profile data, so it should be structured rather than hidden in a CV.
Currency is the monetary unit used for day rate, monthly cost or commercial fields, such as EUR or USD. International crewing often involves multiple currencies.
Structured currency fields prevent ambiguity when comparing candidate cost or vacancy budget across agencies.
An IMO number is a unique vessel identification number assigned under the International Maritime Organization numbering scheme. It remains with the vessel through ownership or name changes.
A vessel record with IMO number is easier to identify correctly across operators, agencies and documentation.
Also known as: GT
Gross tonnage is a measure of a vessel's overall internal volume, not its weight. It can be relevant to certification, manning and vessel classification context.
Some licences or requirements may depend on tonnage, so GT can matter in structured vacancy and vessel records.
Also known as: Deadweight tonnage
DWT, or deadweight tonnage, measures how much weight a vessel can carry, including cargo, fuel, stores and other load. It is commonly used in cargo vessel context.
DWT helps describe vessel experience in seafarer sea-service history and can support more precise candidate matching.
Also known as: kW
Engine power is often recorded in kilowatts and describes the power of a vessel's propulsion machinery. It can be relevant for engineering certificates and licence limits.
Chief Engineer and engineering officer matching may depend on whether the candidate's certificate covers the vessel's engine power.
DP class refers to the dynamic positioning capability classification of a vessel. DP is important in offshore and specialist vessel operations where station keeping is required.
DP requirements should be part of the vacancy when they are relevant, because they can change the required experience and documents.
Vessel categories that often appear in candidate experience records and operator vacancy requirements.
A bulk carrier is a cargo vessel designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo such as grain, coal, ore or similar commodities. Crew requirements depend on size, route, cargo and company policy.
Bulk carrier experience may be used in vacancy matching when the operator requires prior service on similar vessel types.
A container ship carries cargo in standardized containers. These vessels often operate on scheduled routes with tight port calls and defined crew-change windows.
Joining windows, travel and document readiness can be especially important where port time is limited.
A tanker is a vessel designed to carry liquid cargo such as oil, chemicals, gas or product cargo. Tanker crewing often involves additional training, endorsements and experience requirements.
Tanker vacancies should specify cargo type, approvals and required certificates so agencies submit relevant candidates.
An oil or chemical tanker carries petroleum products, chemicals or related liquid cargoes. These vessels can have strict cargo, safety and client requirements.
Oil and chemical tanker experience should be matched carefully because generic vessel experience may not satisfy the vacancy.
A gas tanker carries liquefied gases such as LPG or LNG depending on vessel design. Crew requirements can include specialized cargo and safety training.
Gas carrier roles often need vessel-type-specific sea service and document checks.
An LNG carrier transports liquefied natural gas. LNG operations involve specialized cargo systems, safety practices and crew experience.
An LNG vacancy should not be treated like a generic cargo vacancy because relevant vessel experience can be critical.
An LPG carrier transports liquefied petroleum gas. Like other gas carriers, it can require specific cargo knowledge, training and operational experience.
Structured vessel type fields help agencies find seafarers with the right gas carrier background.
Ro-Ro stands for roll-on/roll-off, a vessel type designed for vehicles or cargo that rolls on and off the ship. Crew requirements depend on vessel operation and route.
Ro-Ro experience can be a useful matching factor when operators want candidates familiar with this vessel type.
Also known as: OSV
An offshore support vessel supports offshore energy, construction or marine projects. Examples include supply, standby, anchor handling and specialized project vessels.
OSV vacancies may involve DP, client approvals, project rules and short-notice crew changes.
Also known as: Platform Supply Vessel
A PSV is a platform supply vessel used to transport supplies, equipment and cargo to offshore installations. It is a common offshore support vessel category.
PSV experience can be a specific requirement in Master, Chief Officer, engineer and deck crew vacancies.
Also known as: Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessel
AHTS stands for Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessel. It supports anchor handling, towing and offshore support operations.
AHTS work can require very specific operational experience, so it should be captured as more than generic offshore experience.
A dredger is a vessel used to remove, move or place seabed material for navigation, construction or environmental work. Dredging operations involve specialized equipment and work patterns.
Dredger crew requirements may involve project approvals, equipment familiarity and specialist experience.
A workboat is a smaller vessel used for marine support, construction, port, offshore, survey or utility work. Crew needs can vary widely by project and operating region.
Workboat operators often need fast crew matching with clear availability, documents and local joining feasibility.
A ferry carries passengers, vehicles or cargo on regular routes. Ferry operations may involve repeated port calls, passenger safety requirements and route-specific schedules.
Passenger-facing or regular-route operations can affect crew requirements, documents and availability planning.
A passenger ship carries passengers and may include ferries, cruise vessels and specialist passenger operations. Crew requirements can include safety, service and passenger-related training.
Passenger vessel experience is often recorded in sea-service history and can be relevant to match scoring.
A superyacht is a large private yacht with professional crew, often combining maritime, hospitality and technical roles. Crewing expectations differ from many commercial cargo operations.
Superyacht requirements should still be handled through structured rank, document, experience and availability data instead of informal notes.
Terms from Crew2Sea product screens and modern crewing workflows, including match score, profile data, planning calendars and controlled access.
A match score is an indication of how well a seafarer profile fits a specific vacancy based on available structured data. It can include position, rank, experience, documents, visas, approvals, medical status and availability.
A match score is decision support, not a hiring decision or legal compliance opinion. It helps agencies fix gaps before submission and helps operators review faster.
A match breakdown shows the individual checks behind a match score, such as position, rank, availability, medical, passport, seaman's book and status. It explains why the score is high or low.
Transparent matching is more useful than a black-box percentage because both sides can see what needs attention.
A structured profile stores seafarer information in fields rather than only inside a CV or PDF. It can include identity, nationality, desired positions, availability, documents, medical status, languages, sea service and approvals.
Structured profiles make matching, CV generation, document radar and candidate comparison possible.
A seafarer profile is the record containing a crew member's identity, rank preferences, documents, availability, day rate, medical status, languages, sea-service history and approvals. Agencies maintain these profiles to support submissions.
A complete profile reduces repeated retyping and helps agencies submit candidates with clearer evidence.
Profile completeness is an indication of whether key seafarer data fields and documents are present. It can highlight missing identity, document, medical, availability or experience information.
Incomplete profiles often lead to rejected or delayed submissions, even when the candidate might otherwise be suitable.
A branded CV is a formatted candidate CV generated or presented with an agency's branding. It uses structured profile data rather than requiring manual Word-template editing every time.
Agencies can reduce repetitive formatting work while preserving structured data for matching and document checks.
CV import is the process of bringing candidate information from a CV or document into a structured seafarer profile. Depending on implementation, this may involve manual review, extraction or data entry support.
Agencies with large seafarer pools need a practical way to move from static CVs to structured profile data that can be reused for matching, documents and submissions.
Document extraction is the process of reading useful fields from documents such as passports, seaman's books, medicals, certificates or CVs. Extracted data still needs review before it is trusted operationally.
Document extraction can reduce retyping, but it should not be described as independent certificate authenticity verification.
Sea service is a seafarer's recorded experience on vessels, usually including rank, vessel type, vessel name, flag, dates and sometimes DWT or engine power. It is used to assess experience relevance.
Sea service helps match candidates by real operating background, not only by current rank title.
Vessel experience is the seafarer's previous service on particular vessel types, sizes, flags or operating contexts. It may be expressed in months, ranks or historical assignments.
Operators often want rank-months on a vessel type, such as PSV, tanker, bulk carrier or passenger vessel, before reviewing a candidate.
Rank-months are a way to measure how much time a seafarer has served in a specific rank. It is more precise than saying the candidate has general maritime experience.
Rank-months help distinguish a candidate who has briefly held a rank from one with sustained role experience on relevant vessels.
A desired position is the rank or role a seafarer is willing or seeking to work in. A profile may include one or more desired positions.
Desired position should align with vacancy rank before an agency spends time preparing a submission.
A language requirement is a requirement for a seafarer to speak or work in a particular language. It may come from safety, vessel, client, project or team needs.
Language should be a structured vacancy and profile field when it affects suitability.
A project approval is an approval required for a specific client, project, charterer, offshore field or operational assignment. It may be recorded alongside certificates and experience.
A candidate may be qualified generally but still unsuitable if a required project approval is missing.
Oil-major approval refers to approval or acceptance connected to oil-major or energy-company requirements. The exact process and evidence depend on the client, vessel and operation.
Where required, oil-major approval should be visible before submission rather than discovered late in the review process.
Client approval is approval from a charterer, project client or operating customer for a seafarer, rank or role. It can be part of offshore, tanker or specialized vessel work.
Client approval gaps should be treated as match or document gaps when the vacancy requires them.
A planning calendar is a visual schedule of seafarer assignments, leave, joining dates, ending contracts and certificate issues. Agencies use it to understand who is deployable and when.
Planning calendars help agencies avoid discovering rotation gaps only when the vessel or operator calls.
Joining soon is a planning status for seafarers expected to start an assignment in the near future. It helps agencies prepare documents, travel and communication.
A seafarer marked joining soon may not be available for another vacancy, even if they appear in the candidate pool.
Ending within 30 days is a planning filter for seafarers whose current assignment is approaching sign-off. It helps agencies identify upcoming availability or replacement needs.
This filter supports proactive matching before the next crew request becomes urgent.
A certificate issue is a missing, expired, incomplete or questionable certificate record that needs attention. It may affect submission readiness or onboard compliance.
Agencies need to see certificate issues across their crew pool, not only after a candidate is submitted.
Private notes are internal notes visible only within one organization. They allow operators or agencies to record decision context without exposing it to the other party.
Crewing decisions often need internal comments, but shared workflows should keep private and shared communication separate.
A message thread is the shared conversation connected to a vacancy or submission. It can include clarification questions, document requests and decision communication.
A message thread keeps context with the candidate and vacancy instead of scattering it across phone, email and WhatsApp.
Access control determines who can view, edit or share particular records or documents. In crewing, access may depend on organization, role, connection, vacancy or submission status.
Operators should not see an agency's entire database, and agencies should not see an operator's full private fleet data unless it is intentionally shared.
Tell us how vacancies, submissions, seafarer documents and planning data move between your operators, agencies and internal teams.
