SEA-004 - Payment Of Wages - Account

TO: ALL SHIPOWNERS, OPERATORS, MASTERS AND OFFICERS OF

MERCHANT SHIPS, AND AUTHORIZED CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

SUBJECT: Payment of Wages - Account

Reference: Liberian Maritime Law (RLM-107) 10. 327

Supersedes: Marine Notice SEA-004, dated 05/12

PURPOSE:

This Notice clarifies the requirement for full and true accounting of wages to officers/ seafarers with regards to fixed salary plans and offshore based electronic accounting systems.

APPLICABILITY:

Maritime Law Part 10, Section 327 sub-paragraph (4) allows the implementation of a fixed salary plan which establishes a practical, modern salary system that will ensure a regular monthly income while the officer/seafarer is on active service, as well as during leave periods, and at the same time simplify the accounting system by reducing the administrative workload on board the ship.

REQUIREMENTS:

1.0 A system of payment by bank transfers of similar means to enable the seafarers to receive all or portions of their wages at regular interval or in due time and directly to the person or persons nominated by the seafarer shall be established by the shipowner.

2.0 For the purpose of the penalty provision in Part 10, Section 327 of the Maritime Law, it shall be deemed that no default has occurred under the following controlled circumstances:

2.1 There exists an offshore based account system which utilizes an electronic transfer of wage payments to perform the wage accounting function, provided that individual wage account slips are transmitted to the ship electronically for the officer/seafarer and mailed to the officer’s/seafarer's mailing address by a specified date, and

2.2 The officer/seafarer receives a shipboard transaction statement before signing off the ship, which shall be followed by a final wage account slip to the officer’s/seafarer's mailing address by a specified date in the month following the date on which sign-off occurs.

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Inquiries concerning the subject of this Notice should be directed to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Republic of Liberia, the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry, 22980 Indian Creek Drive., Suite 200, Dulles, VA 20166, USA. The most current version of all Marine Notices are available in the Online Library at: http://www.liscr.com

3.0 These arrangements should be reflected as an addendum to the Articles of Agreement between the Master and seafarers or in the Seafarer’s Employment Agreement (SEA) or in the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

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SEA-004 2 of 2 Rev. 03/22

The Republic of Liberia