CHAPTER 3: REAL SITUATION OF CREW EXPORT AT INLACO SAIGON
3.1 Process of crew export at Inlaco Saigon
3.1.2 Interviewing and evaluating applicants
After handling all documents required, applicants are interviewed by board of examiners which includes 3 people. They are captain, chief enginer, chief officer.
Applicants will be examined about marine special knowledge, English ability, and nautical experience. In addition, board of examiners will base their decision on specialty degree, virtue, health, appearance, and skills to decide whether recruit or not.
Form ISC-05-4 is used for evaluating result of interview. This is a document in applicant’s record. Board of examiners and General Director will consider it when choosing applicant to recruit.
If applicant passes the interview, applicant’ record will be submitted for General Director’s approval. Basing his decision on demand for each rank, he makes recruit accordingly.
3.1.3 Signing contract with crews meeting Inlaco Saigon’s requirements.
The Chief of the accounting department is responsible for summarizing records and results of interviews. Applicants’ records which satisfy requirements of company will be reported to Board of examiners and General Director. They will make decision about recruitment of crews.
38 General Director makes final decision in choosing crews. The Chief of crew department has responsibility for finishing recruitment records, preparing contracts, and making decision form in order for General Director to approve.
3.1.4 Educating, training new crews.
The Chief of crew department and chief of safety management-crew training department are in charge of organizing and planning education and training for crews.
These plans need to be submitted for General Director’s approval.
The Chief of The safety management-crew training department has responsibility for organizing classes in order to educate, and train new crews about decrees, rules, laws, and instructions related to the Safety Management System.
All new crews have to participate in training course including:
Regulations, internal rules of Inlaco Saigon Specialty issues related to STCW 78/95 Knowledge about ISM and ISPS law Specialty in English.
Inlaco Saigon not only organizes English course for new crews but also makes opportunities for them to join the Vsup course. This course consists of twenty crews in each class and lasts four months. Crews have to pass an exam in order to attend this course. If Inlaco Saigon’s crews pass the exam, Inlaco Saigon will let them attend and learn it.
Captain is in charge of training new crews who have not been on board yet and crews who take new title. Training course is based on annual training plan of Inlaco Saigon (form ISC-05-01). He will organize 3 month period of probation for new crews. After this time, result will be recorded in form ISC-05-02 in order to report to Inlaco Saigon 3.1.5 Training crews on vacation.
While ashore, every crew has to join Inlaco Saigon’s courses to update knowledge, develop special skills, English skill. These courses include:
Be familiar with environment on board.
Duties needed to be done in urgent situations.
Preserve environment (rubbish, sewage).
Introduce to Safety Management System and safety management handbook of Inlaco Saigon.
Maintenance
Watch-keeping when vessel is in port, berths, or be in race.
Specialty issues related to demand of Inlaco Saigon and customers hiring crews.
39 Training crews for safety and security: preserving environment, and protecting it from pollution.
Result of training will be recorded in form ISC-05-05
Crews in relax time after working on board will be suggested to study officer certificate.
3.1.6 Appointing, and making documents for crews to enter vessels Appointing crews to enter vessel.
Situation: old customers demand new crews.
When Japanese shipping agent require new crews, they will send an email to crew department to note their need. The email’s content will include the number of crews, requirements for each title. Basing their decision on the number of crews on vacation, crew department decide whether to recruit new crews or not.
After having enough crews, crew department sends a crew-card to the shipping agent.
They will consider records of crews, then note to the crew department about detail time to interview. According to the level of each rank, they will choose the person to interview crews. In most situations, Inlaco Saigon has responsibility to do it. They just interview crews for important ranks such as Captain, Chief Officer, and Chief Engineer. Their representatives will interview crews a face to face in their office at Hai Phong. Total expenses of interview are paid by Inlaco Saigon.
Japanese shipping agent sends results of interviews to the crew department. Crews passing the interview will have documents made for. For rank that crews do not meet their requirement, crew department has to find another suitable crew.
Replacing crews
For crew whose contract is nearing expiry, the crew department will find another for this position.
Step 1: Shipping agent will send mail to note crew department about crews whose contracts are going to expire within the next two months. The mail’s content includes:
name, title, contract expiration date of the crew were working on board, requirement for replacing another.
Step 2: Based on the requirements of each title required by shipping agent, crew department chooses a suitable crew for each position. Then, the crew department sends a crew-card of this crew to shipping agent.
40 Step 3: shipping agent will send mail to crew department to note the time and method of interview.
Step 4: After having result of interview, shipping agent will send it to the crew department. Crews accepted by shipping agent will have documents made to enter board. For crews that shipping agent does not satisfy, crew department is responsible to replace another until suitable crew is supplied. In a special case, crew chosen to enter board has worked for this ship owner previously, step 3 can be skipped. Crew department will make documents for this crew when ship owner requires replacement.
Making documents for crews to enter board
A contract will be signed between the General Director and the crew who is accepted by shipping agent. The expiration of contract which is identified by shipping agent and the crew department is from nine months to eleven months in length. Besides the contract, the crew department will send appointment decision for the General Director to sign. The number of copies for this form is two (one copy will be send on board, other will be ashore)
Crews need to have health certificate before entering vessel. Cost for it is paid by Inlaco Saigon
Shipping agent will send a guarantee letter to crew department. The guarantee letter is used for making visa for crew. There is no need to making visa when crews enter the countries of Singapore, Malaysia (fellow members of ASEAN), Korea, Japan (shipping agents in these countries are responsible for visa for crew, then faxing it to the crew department). In other countries, the crew department has to make visa for crew
Most Japanese ship owners dress their vessels with the flag of Panama. So entering these vessels, crews need a Panama certificate. This is issued by the Embassy of Panama in 7A, Le Thanh Ton Street, district 1, HCMCT
Table 3.1: Costs for making Panama cerifcate
Captain and chief engine 340 USD
Deck officer and engine officer (C/O, 2/O, 3/O, 1/E, 2/E,3/E 340 USD
Electric officer 340 USD
Radio officer 150 USD
Marine security officer 380 USD
Crew, mess man 155 USD
Source: Company Inlaco Saigon.
41 Expenses of making Panama are paid by agreement between Inlaco Saigon and partners such as Nissho shipping as to who pays the cost.
Crew’s qualifications (specialized training certificate, professional training certificate, basic training certificate, proficiency certificate…) will be copied and stored photos with photocopies in the file of the company. The original degrees will be sent to vessel.
Based on the port of destination of the vessel, the staff of crew department may have buy airplane ticket for crew to enter onboard the vessel.
Each time crew enters board, the company will provide three sets of labor protection and a pair of shoes for the crew. Dark blue color is for sail crew, fresh orange one is for officer. Crew serving in kitchen is supplied skirt; in addition chef is supplied hat and trouser.
To meet demand for the crew’s entertainment, the crew department order books, newspapers, and magazines, and send them to the vessel.
3.1.7 To train crew before entering vessel.
The Safety Management and Crew training department is responsible for training crew before entering vessel. All crews before entering vessel need to be instructed to familiarize themselves with new tasks. Its basic content consists of maritime safety and environment protection.
3.1.8 Managing crews on board.
The difference between management of crew export and other labor export is that the company is still responsible for crew when crew is working on board. When the crew enters vessel, crew department must be responsible to continue to manage and update situation on board. If the crew encountered a problem on board, he will send the mail to crew department in order to request assistance from the company. Crews are asked to report regularly for the company as well. Through the information received from crew, the company will have a training plan of crews on while on vacation.
Company will send wage of crews to their family monthly. The rest of wage is kept by crews while on board.
3.1.9 Crew leaves vessel and evaluation of captain.
If crew finishes contract, he has to be present at Inlaco Saigon Saigon within three days of his return to his country. He is asked to handle passport, seafarer’s passport.
42 On the instance that crew has not completed contract yet, but is forced to return because he is fired by the captain. He must report to the company about his mistake, write self-criticism and return the passport, seafarer’s passport. This crew will be cutting reserve allowances until the contract which was signed before he enters the vessel is out of date. If the other owners do not hire this crew, the company will allow him to find job in another company. Crew department and this crew will check the contract together in order to liquidate the labor contract.
If the crew does not submit the passport, the company will cut wages and instantly prevent crewmember from working anywhere without further permission of Inlaco Saigon. The company is not responsible for this crewmember.
After completing the on board contract, crews have a 45-day vacation. During this period, if crew department needs a new crew soon, they must inform them and discuss with the crew. When crewmember agrees to work again, he will complete an application form to show he is available to work soon.
After the 45-day vacation, crews must be ready for work on board when crew department has need. However, crew may have more time to relax due to special circumstances. The crewmember has to write an application that must state clearly the reason and expected length of the extended vacation, as well as a commitment to working immediately after the extra holiday. The application must then be approved by the company. In the meantime, while waiting to have a new contract, crews will be supplied with the reserve allowance.
Table 3.2: Reserve allowance of crews
Unit: VND/month
Rank The number of money
Management officer 1,000,000
Operation officer 800,00
BSN, No.1, Chef 650,000
Crew, Engine, Electric, Mess 540,000
Source: Department of Finance and Accounting at Inlaco Saigon.
Crews have to be available at Inlaco Saigon or its branches on tenth and twentieth of every month so as to check the attendance sheet and listen to related notes. If those days are on a Sunday or a national holiday, crews will be expected at Inlaco Saigon on the next day. If any crewmembers are not at Inlaco Saigon without cause on those days, they will not receive an allowance for that month.