IT SHOULD be a dream job for many young adventurous British people: working on the superyachts of the rich and famous in sun-kissed destinations. However, rather than a dream, for some the reality is more of a nightmare in a cut throat, unregulated industry where perfection is always expected.

According to research, 500 of these luxurious vessels (superyachts are boats that are longer than 24 metres) were being built around the world in 2018. Each of these requires around 100 staff and the industry employs 37,000 people worldwide. Britain, with its strong maritime history, is the biggest source of labour.

Such is the popularity of this line of work among young people that Southampton Solent University offers degree-level training at its Warsash Superyacht Academy.

Potential candidates are encouraged to apply either through superyacht crew agencies or directly approach captains of the vessels, usually on the French Riviera.

Websites promoting superyacht jobs only tend to emphasise the positive glamorous aspects of this work. This includes travel to exotic locations, socialising with celebrities and an adventurous lifestyle.

However they fail to mention instances of sexual harassment against stewardesses and the bullying tactics often used against deckhands. It also isn’t unknown for owners to return to the vessel drunk, on drugs or with prostitutes.

There are also claims made that superyacht owners are bound by legislation set out by regulating bodies such as the International Maritime Organisation. However many superyachts continually travel around the world, which means that the crew are not afforded the same protection as those who work on land.
Indeed the precarious nature of superyacht workers’ rights is reinforced by the fact that these boats are often operating in international waters and run by management companies who may not be publicly identifiable.

Many superyachts are also registered in “flag of convenience” countries often in Central America or the Caribbean. This is usually done for tax purposes but can also mean that health and safety laws are more lax. While health and safety is important in all work places, on superyachts it is literally a life and death situation.

Michael Hanlon, 22, started working as a water sports instructor and deckhand on 62-metre superyacht Faith, owned by fashion billionaire Lawrence Stroll in 2013. However one month later he was dead after attempting to gain access to the vessel after a night out, through an unofficial emergency entrance. Hanlon fell from the top deck, hit his head on the quay and drowned with his body being discovered the following day.

Jacob Nicol, 24, from Cornwall, died in 2017, two years after suffering severe brain injuries following a fall from the superyacht Kibo while cleaning it in a Majorcan port. Nicol, who was the third assistant engineer, was hanging in a harness when he fell and fractured his skull.

According to his relatives, Nicol was usually responsible for engine maintenance in his job and had been asked to clean the boat for the first time.

Will Black, 28, disappeared working on the £15 million superyacht Burrasca shortly before arrival at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2010. According to the captain, Black, who was the ship’s bosun, was knocked overboard when a rib he was piloting collided with another boat.

However the Burrasca had left Monaco by the time Black’s mother and sister had arrived. Nobody from the yacht requested that divers look for the body, leading the captain of another superyacht to fund an unsuccessful search.

Last year Rebecca Boyle, 32, a stewardess from West London on La Polonia (moored in the Italian Riviera at the time) was found dead in her cabin after celebrating England’s World Cup victory over Colombia. Italian authorities concluded that Boyle fell down the steps in her cabin and broke her neck.

Even for those members of staff who avoid deadly accidents, working conditions are often grim. Owners expect faultless, first-class service with no excuses accepted. Crew have to be available to provide such service 24 hours a day and have few days off. Most crew live in cramped bunk bed type conditions, although a lucky few are able to get their own cabin.

In fact “yachties” as they are colloquially known have employment rights under the Maritime Labour Convention that many of the countries that the superyachts have registered with have ratified.
However it is difficult to enforce employment rights on superyachts where owners have been known to fire the entire crew on a whim or even assault crew members.

Therefore is there any hope for trade unions in successfully representing superyacht workers? Surprisingly perhaps there is, in the form of Natulius International.

Founded in 2009, Nautilus emerged following a merger between Nautilus UK and its Dutch counterpart, with Swiss Maritime workers voting to join in 2011.

Therefore although the British headquarters are in East London, Nautilus is a truly international union reflecting the increasingly globalised nature of the maritime industry.

According to 2016 figures Nautilus has around 22,000 members from 90 countries with around 15,000 in Britain. Members include officers, cadets, harbourmasters, river boatmen, ship medical personnel, maritime lawyers and nautical college lecturers as well as yacht crew. However 2018 figures showed that more than half of members were superyacht workers.

In December 2018 Nautilus backed research undertaken by the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network into the welfare of superyacht workers. Responses were gathered from 402 superyacht crew who answered 50 questions.

Responses showed 82 per cent of respondents suffered from low morale while 77 per cent of women and 55 per cent of men had experienced problems with on-board leadership. 57 per cent of women and 39 per cent of men suffered from social isolation or loneliness while only 51 per cent felt satisfied with their leave entitlement.

As a result the report recommended that superyacht workers should have a better understanding of what to expect before going to sea, more time for rest and relaxation as well as access to more rotational posts and wellbeing services.

Nautilus encourages all members and friends on super yachts to obtain a Service Record Book (SRA).

This document, provided free of charge to full members in conjunction with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), allows members to record and calculate relevant sea service for certification and continue working in the maritime industry.

Nautilus also provide a guide for superyacht workers to ensure that their employment contracts are in line with the Maritime Labour Convention on Seafarers Employment Agreements (SEAs). According to the union no workers should be employed on a yacht without an SEA as it entitles crew to a fair employment agreement or contract.

Two recent cases have highlighted the vital role that the union plays in protecting the rights of superyacht workers. In 2018 Nautilus were able to recover $1 million in wages for the crew of the Indian Empress that had been left abandoned in Malta in September 2017 with around 40 crew being unpaid from then on. Following the sale of the vessel the union was able to obtain an average payment of $20,745 per crew member.

In 2019 the union warned its members to be extremely cautious when dealing with the M/Y Luna vessel. This is because the boat was caught up in a divorce dispute between Russian oligarch Farkhan Akhmedov and his wife Tatiana Akhmedova.

In 2016 the English High Court ordered Mr Akhmedov to pay his wife £453 million in a divorce settlement that involved M/Y Luna. This vessel was subject to an injunction from a Marshall Islands Court where it is registered and an order from a Dubai court where it was moored. Therefore maritime workers helping with the removal of the vessel from Dubai could have faced legal difficulties.

Nautilus has the difficult task of organising a multinational group of workers who spend most of their time sailing around the world rather than working in set locations. Although the union has staff that travel to yacht shows to talk to workers, many of its services are provided by a network of 17 strategic partners.

These partners include D and B Services who help process the SRB book that every Nautilus member receives and Willsonhalligan a yacht recruitment agency. Red Square Medical also provides support for medical emergencies.

International organiser for Nautilus International Danny McGowan emphasised the importance of social media in recruiting new members and ensuring that all superyacht workers have a verified contract in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention.

“We use social media to try to promote our presence, and there are superyacht Facebook groups that the industry uses that we use to reinforce our unique standing in it.

“The sea time someone has accrued on a superyacht can be verified by accredited organisations such as Nautilus. We do that through the Service Record Book which we give to each of our members working on superyachts.

“We have seen people take jobs without a contract — and that can cause issues if there is a dispute later down the line, once seafarers have returned to their home country.”

The superyacht industry is likely to grow in the next few years and Nautilus International is set to play an increasingly important role in combating bad working conditions at sea.