Maritime Law & Merchant Seamen

Maritime Law for Merchant Seamen covers civilians who are classified as members of the U.S. Merchant marine. These people are employed aboard commercial ships and are often hired by the company, themselves, or sometimes by a specific union. These are the individuals that fall under this branch of maritime law. To qualify, these merchant seamen must have certain classifications, licenses and papers under this law. The document needed is a Merchant Mariner's Document or MMD.

Maritime Law for Merchant Seamen states that all merchant seamen must be able to pass a drug test before being issued their papers. This ensures that people are being held to the appropriate standards of safety and conduct that are required for safe work aboard any sort of sea faring vessel. The dangers associated with working at sea are vast and so it is of the utmost importance that anyone employed aboard a ship is held to exacting standards in order to ensure the safety of all aboard and that certainly includes merchant seamen.

There are different classifications and specifications under Maritime law for merchant seamen. These are like the endorsements granted other professions to indicate a rank and qualification in a certain area. These include AB – Able Seaman, LB – Lifeboatman, and many others. These rankings are Dependant on a variety of criteria and can include taking and passing various kinds of tests.

Maritime law for merchant seamen is very exacting and ensures that these individuals are held to strict standards of education, quality and behavior. They must be drug free, as was already stated, and may sometimes be subjected to random drug testing in order to ensure that they are staying clean. These laws and regulations are in place for the protection of all aboard, as well as for the protection of the reputation of the merchant seamen in general. They serve an important function and, in order to retain their usefulness and their place within the waters, it is vital that all involved can trust that the maritime law for merchant seamen is keeping them to the highest standards of education, qualification and safety.

These laws and regulations are enforced rigorously due to the dangers of working at sea. There are many dangerous professions in the world but working at sea is more dangerous than many of them because any mistakes, miscalculations, or under training can result in death rather than just an injury. There are also many more chances for things to go wrong while working at sea than in most other professions, which is why both employers and legal associations must always take the utmost care to make sure that all employees are providing and caring for themselves and their crewmates or passengers safety.