# Crew Manager (CM)
Navatom Crew Manager keeps every seafarer's certificates, MLC contracts and sea service in one place, and tracks sign-on, sign-off and retention.

URL: https://navatom.com/products/crew-manager
Category: [Human Resources](https://navatom.com/products/category/human-resources)
Runs on: Office, Ship

## Overview
Navatom Crew Manager is the complete digital crew management platform — enabling ship managers to maintain comprehensive seafarer records, manage contracts and assignments, track certificates and qualifications, and oversee the entire sign-in/sign-out lifecycle across their fleet. It replaces paper-based crew files, disconnected spreadsheets, and manual tracking with one centralized system, shared by the office and every vessel, that gives your crewing department, fleet superintendents, and vessel masters a single source of truth for every crew member.
Built around a 51-rank onboard hierarchy in seven groups (deck officers, engine officers, deck ratings, engine ratings, offshore, kitchen, and other hotel staff), the module captures every dimension of a seafarer's profile across 19 field groups — from identity documents and certificates to health examinations, vaccinations, language skills, vessel type preferences, and cargo history. A consent-based profile editing workflow ensures data integrity, while 9 attachment types cover every document a seafarer needs on file.
A robust contract management system with 6 contract types, MLC employment terms and your own contract templates handles the administrative backbone. The sign-in/sign-out workflow tracks every onboard activity with 31 checkout reasons across 3 reason groups, providing retention analytics that help you understand why crew members leave.
With every profile change recorded as it happens, the module delivers a complete audit trail ready for ISM, MLC, and flag state inspections.

## Key figures
- 51 Onboard Crew Ranks
- 69 STCW Certificate Types
- 10 MLC Protection Benefits
- 6 Contract Types

## Features
- **Crew Status Console**: See every seafarer you employ in one console: all of them, those on board, those between tours and those whose contracts end soon, each tab with its count. Each row shows the vessel, rank, contract type and dates, the days left, the MLC tour limit and how many of the seafarer's certificates are expiring. Act from the row: sign a seafarer on, or write their next contract once the current one has ended. Tour limits follow MLC 2006: a tour ends before 12 months aboard, the warning comes at 11 months and earlier when leave is untaken, and a relief is overdue once the contract's tolerance has passed.
  - All, on board, between tours, ending soon
  - Days left and overdue reliefs
  - MLC tour limit on every row
  - Expiring certificates per seafarer
  - Sign on or contract from the row
- **Comprehensive Crew Database**: Maintain a complete digital record for every seafarer in your organization with 19 profile field groups. The crew database captures identity documents, certificates, medical records, education history, work experience, language skills, emergency contacts, physical attributes, vaccinations, and vessel type preferences — everything a crewing department needs in one place. Each profile is structured around 19 dedicated field groups — Address, Attachments, Certificates, Education, Email Address, Emergency Contact, Experience, Flag Endorsement, Health Examination, Languages, National ID, Other Certificates, Passports, Physical Info, Profile Photo, Seamen ID, Sufficiency Preferences, Vaccinations, and Vessel Type Preferences — ensuring no aspect of a seafarer's record is overlooked.
  - 19 structured profile field groups
  - Identity, certificates & qualifications
  - Health, education & experience records
  - Preferred ranks, vessel types & flags
  - Found from the office with Navatom Search
- **Certificate & Document Management**: Track every certificate a seafarer holds against 69 STCW-referenced certificate types in 7 categories, from competency and proficiency to medical and travel. Each certificate carries its number, issue and expiry dates, and whether it has been withdrawn or suspended. Documents are kept in nine types: Certificate, Medical Certificate, National ID, Passport, Police Visa, Seamen Book, Visa, Training Record Book, and Other. Flag endorsements are recorded on the profile. Set which certificates each rank needs on each vessel. Certificates expiring within a set number of days show on the dashboard and in the fleet list, and a weekly digest for each vessel lists the certificates expiring, contracts ending and documents overdue. The system maintains a complete document history, so you can trace every certificate from issue through renewal.
  - 69 STCW-referenced certificate types
  - 9 document types (Passport, Visa, Seamen Book…)
  - Withdrawn and suspended certificates
  - Required certificates per rank and vessel
  - Weekly expiry digest for each vessel
- **Contract Management**: Manage the full lifecycle of crew contracts with six contract types (fixed term, voyage, permanent, rotational, relief pool and ad hoc) and four contract statuses: Active, Canceled, Expired, and Invalid. A contract covers one vessel, a fleet or the whole company, and names the employer (owner, manager or manning agent), the manning agency and the paying agent. Each wage scale can carry your own contract template, an Excel file, and every contract made on it produces a filled PDF contract, with the signed copy uploaded back to the contract. Extensions record whether the company, the seafarer or both asked for them, with the old and new end dates and the reason, and contracts ending within a set number of days show on the dashboard. The contract record becomes part of the permanent crew profile, fully auditable and always accessible.
  - 6 contract types, 4 statuses
  - Your own contract template per wage scale
  - Signed copy kept on the contract
  - Extensions with who asked and why
  - Contracts ending soon on the dashboard
- **MLC Seafarer Employment Agreements**: Every contract records the employment terms MLC 2006 inspectors look for: the social protection benefits it provides, from medical care and sickness benefit to old-age, maternity and survivors' benefits, the notice period, the port of embarkation and the place the agreement was made. It also records the repatriation destination, who bears its cost and the financial security certificate number, when and by whom the seafarer was briefed on their rights, and the dates the seafarer and the company signed and the seafarer received a copy.
  - 10 MLC social protection benefits
  - Repatriation destination and cost
  - Financial security certificate number
  - Rights briefing, by whom and when
  - Signing and copy-received dates
- **Sign-In & Sign-Out Workflow**: Track every crew movement on and off your vessels with a structured three-status onboard activity system — assigned, checked in and checked out. The sign-in process records when a seafarer boards a vessel, while the sign-out process captures exactly why they left, using one of 31 checkout reasons organized into three reason groups. The three checkout reason groups (unavoidable, such as end of contract, illness, promotion or a ship sold; beneficial, such as misconduct or falsified documents; and non-beneficial, such as low salary, fatigue or an unseaworthy ship) provide granular retention analytics that reveal patterns in crew turnover.
  - Assigned, checked in, checked out
  - 31 sign-off reasons in 3 groups
  - Signed on and off on board or ashore
  - Amend a recorded sign-on or sign-off
  - Retention breakdown by exit reason
- **Crew Retention & Relief Tracking**: Dashboard widgets show officer, non-officer and overall retention rates, the rates over the last year, and a breakdown by rank, vessel type, nationality and exit reason. Retention follows the industry formula: 100% less the year's terminations, leaving out the unavoidable and beneficial ones, as a share of the average number employed. Relief widgets list the crew due for relief in the next 90 days, contracts and certificates ending within a set number of days, and crew changes planned against actual.
  - Officer, non-officer & overall retention
  - Breakdown by rank, vessel type & nationality
  - Unavoidable & beneficial leavers left out
  - Crew due for relief in 90 days
  - Crew changes planned vs actual
- **Fleet List & Current Crew Views**: See exactly who is on every vessel in your fleet with real-time ship-crew assignment views. The fleet list shows the current complement for each vessel, organized by department and rank, with status indicators for contract expiry, certificate validity, and onboard duration. Print the IMO crew list for a vessel's arrival or departure, with the port, date, last port of call and voyage number, and each seafarer's name, rank, nationality, date and place of birth, and identity document. The fleet list also shows each vessel's crew count and flags certificates and contracts needing attention and a vessel with no Ship Security Officer named. Print or export for any vessel in your fleet with a single action.
  - Real-time ship-crew assignment
  - Per-vessel crew complement view
  - IMO crew list for arrival or departure
  - Ship Security Officer check
  - Contract & certificate status indicators
- **51-Rank Onboard Hierarchy**: Model your entire vessel crew structure with 51 onboard ranks organized into seven groups: deck officers, engine officers, deck ratings, engine ratings, offshore, kitchen, and other hotel staff. From Master and Chief Officer to Motorman, Cook, and Cadet, every position in the maritime rank system is represented. The rank hierarchy drives assignment logic, certificate requirements, and access control throughout the module. When assigning crew to vessels, the system understands which ranks belong to which department, what certificates each rank requires, and how the onboard organizational chart should look. This rank-aware architecture ensures your fleet list always reflects proper maritime hierarchy.
  - 51 ranks in 7 rank groups
  - Deck and engine officers and ratings
  - Offshore, kitchen & other hotel staff
  - Rank-driven certificate requirements
  - Deck, engine & hotel departments
- **Crew Profile Management**: Manage every aspect of a seafarer's identity and qualifications through 19 structured field groups. The profile system captures addresses, emergency contacts, education history, language skills, physical attributes, and sufficiency preferences — building a comprehensive digital personnel file that replaces paper-based crew records. A consent-based profile editing workflow protects data integrity. When a seafarer keeps their own profile on the Navatom crew app, the company asks for consent before editing it; the seafarer approves it until a set date and can revoke it at any time, and every request, approval and revocation is recorded. Identity verification through National ID, Passport, and Seamen Book records maintains the reliability of your crew database.
  - 19 field groups per seafarer
  - Consent-based edit workflow
  - Consent requested, approved, revoked
  - Identity verification (National ID, Passport, Seamen Book)
  - Rehire status on every profile
- **Contract Wages & Payroll**: Price every contract from your wage scales: the seafarer's rank, their seniority band from months of sea service, and any situational pay, previewed before the contract is saved. The fleet list shows each vessel's total crew wages in your company currency. Wage changes are recorded on the contract with the date they take effect, the reason and the parties' reference, including a promotion to a new rank without a sign-off. Each change keeps the wage it agreed, so a later scale revision never rewrites it. Pay itself runs in Navatom Payroll.
  - Priced from your wage scales
  - Seniority bands from sea service
  - Wage preview before saving
  - Dated wage changes and promotions
  - Each vessel's crew wage total
- **Record of Employment & Profile Printouts**: Print a seafarer's record of employment, the document MLC 2006 says every seafarer is given: each vessel served with its IMO number and flag, the rank, and the sign-on and sign-off dates and ports, under your company's name. Print a seafarer's full profile too, the CV a charterer or principal asks for.
  - MLC record of employment
  - Vessel, IMO number and flag per tour
  - Sign-on and sign-off dates and ports
  - Printable seafarer profile
  - Under your company's name
- **Health & Physical Records**: Track the health record of every seafarer with vaccination records, medical examination dates and physical information. Record each vaccination with the date it was given and its expiry, and each medical examination with its date and the date it runs out. Physical information records height, weight, and coverall and shoe sizes, and the profile holds the seafarer's blood type. The medical certificate itself is kept among the seafarer's documents. Vaccination records become especially critical for international voyages where port health authorities require proof of specific immunizations.
  - Vaccination type & validity tracking
  - Medical examination and expiry dates
  - Medical certificate on file
  - Height, weight, coverall & shoe sizes
  - Blood type on the profile
- **Experience & Qualification Tracking**: Build a complete professional history for every seafarer with structured work experience records and their certificate of competency. Record previous employers with a reference contact, and each position held with the vessel, its type, gross tonnage and engine power, the dates and the months served, the essential data for career progression planning. The certificate of competency is kept with its number, issuing country and validity dates. Preferences record the ranks, vessel types and flags each seafarer wants to sail with, enabling smarter assignment decisions that balance operational needs with crew satisfaction.
  - Structured work experience records
  - Months served per position
  - Vessel type, tonnage & engine power
  - Certificate of competency on file
  - Preferred ranks, vessel types & flags
- **Cargo History Tracking**: Record and query the cargo experience of every crew member with a dedicated cargo code database and onboard date range queries. Know exactly which cargo types each seafarer has handled, on which vessels, and during which assignments — critical information for tanker operators and specialized cargo vessels. Record what each vessel carried and when, including ship-to-ship transfers, and pick the crew who were aboard in those dates; Navatom checks that every one of them was on board. The cargo is then credited to each of them, helping you assign the right crew to the right vessels based on their actual cargo experience rather than generic certifications alone.
  - Cargo code database
  - Cargo per vessel and date range
  - Ship-to-ship transfers marked
  - Crew checked as aboard
- **Evaluation Integration**: Connect crew performance evaluations directly to crew profiles with integrated evaluation assignment management. Evaluations start when a seafarer signs on or off, for the ranks and vessels you choose, or on demand, and the evaluator can be an office user group or ranks on board. The results flow back into the crew member's permanent record. View evaluation history alongside certificates, experience, and contract data for a 360-degree view of each seafarer. Evaluation scores inform assignment decisions, promotion eligibility, and re-employment assessments. The integration ensures that performance data is never siloed away from the rest of the crew record.
  - Evaluations at sign-on and sign-off
  - Performance history on crew profile
  - By office groups or ranks on board
  - Re-employment assessment data
  - 360-degree seafarer view
- **Application Requirements & Visibility**: Configure Crew Manager to match your organization's requirements. Choose which profile sections and document types a seafarer must complete before applying to you, the education level each certificate of competency needs, and which certificates each rank needs on each vessel. Visibility settings decide what seafarers see of your company and your vessels on the Navatom crew app, and your about text and contact details fill your company's page.
  - Required profile sections for applicants
  - Required document types
  - Education level per competency
  - Required certificates per rank and vessel
  - Company and vessel visibility to seafarers
- **Crew Analytics & Demographics**: Three analytics pages look at your crew. The crew page shows who is aboard and the nationality mix on each vessel, relief ageing, seafarers not relieved on time, retention by rank, vessel type and nationality, sign-off reasons, and the certificate expiry horizon. Demographics show your crew by nationality and the age of those aboard by vessel and by rank, and evaluation analytics surface crew performance trends from Evaluation & Feedback.
  - Crew aboard & nationality mix
  - Relief ageing & late reliefs
  - Retention by rank, vessel type & nationality
  - Evaluation score trends
- **Complete Audit Trail**: Every change to a crew member's profile is recorded as it happens, with who made it and when. From basic profile edits and document uploads to contract status changes and onboard activity transitions, every action carries full user attribution, timestamp, and contextual data. The same record feeds the audit trail, notifications and dashboards, giving ISM, MLC 2006 and flag state inspectors a complete chronological record of every crew management action.
  - Every action recorded as it happens
  - All 19 field group changes tracked
  - Full user attribution per event
  - Contract & assignment transitions logged
  - Ready for ISM & MLC audits

## Technical abilities
- **Crew Lists with Advanced Filtering**: Every crew list opens in a grid with column filters: the crew aboard each vessel, past tours, and the crew status console with its contract dates, days left, tour limits and expiring certificates. To find any seafarer across the whole pool, Navatom Search looks up names, seaman's book and passport numbers, email, current vessel and rank.
- **Complete Event History**: Every action on a seafarer's record is recorded as it happens, with who did it and when. The same record feeds the audit trail, notifications and dashboards.
- **Multi-Department Rank Hierarchy System**: 51 onboard ranks organized into 7 groups (deck officers, engine officers, deck ratings, engine ratings, offshore, kitchen, other hotel staff) drive assignment validation, certificate requirements, and access control. The hierarchy is integrated into every workflow — from the fleet list to the certificates each rank needs.
- **Contract Lifecycle State Machine**: Crew contracts follow a four-status lifecycle (Active, Canceled, Expired, Invalid) with automated expiry detection and transition enforcement. The lifecycle integrates with the sign-in/sign-out workflow and with the wage scales in Navatom Payroll to maintain data consistency across the entire crew management domain.
- **Consent-Based Profile Editing**: Changes a company makes to a seafarer's own profile follow a consent workflow: the company requests consent, the seafarer approves it until a set date, and the seafarer can revoke it. The consent wording cites Articles 6 and 7 of the GDPR, and the system enforces consent before changes are committed, maintaining data integrity for seafarer personal information.
- **IMO Crew List Generation**: Real-time crew list generation pulls live data from vessel assignments and crew profiles. The engine produces print-ready crew lists for a vessel's arrival or departure, with the port, date, last port of call and voyage number, and each seafarer's name, rank, nationality, date and place of birth, and identity document.
- **Office-Ship Synchronization**: The office and the vessel work on one crew record: the master signs crew on and off and prints the IMO crew list on the ship app, and the crewing department manages profiles and contracts on the company app.

## Benefits
- **Complete Digital Crew Records — From Certificates to Cargo History**: Nineteen profile field groups, 9 document types, and 69 STCW-referenced certificate types capture every dimension of a seafarer's record. No more paper files, no more scattered spreadsheets — one digital profile holds everything from identity documents to vaccination records, cargo experience to language skills.
- **31 Checkout Reasons for Retention Analytics**: Three reason groups (unavoidable, beneficial and non-beneficial) with 31 specific checkout reasons transform crew departures from an administrative event into actionable retention intelligence. Understand why crew members leave, identify patterns, and take targeted action to improve retention rates.
- **Every Profile Change Tracked**: Every change to a seafarer's profile, documents, contracts and tours is recorded as it happens, with who made it and when. ISM auditors, MLC inspectors, and flag state authorities will find a clean, chronological record of every crew management action.
- **Inspection-Ready ISM & MLC Crew Documentation**: Certificate tracking, health records, MLC contract terms, and the record of employment are built around what ISM Code and MLC 2006 inspections check. Rank-based certificate requirements, expiry monitoring, and consent-based editing keep your crew documentation inspection-ready.
- **Scales from Single Vessel to Global Fleet**: Per-vessel crew lists, one crew status console for the fleet and Navatom Search across the whole crew pool mean the system works the same whether you manage ten crew members or ten thousand. Grow your fleet without outgrowing your crew management platform.

## Frequently asked questions
### What crew information does the module track?
The module tracks 19 profile field groups covering every aspect of a seafarer's record: Address, Attachments, Certificates, Education, Email Address, Emergency Contact, Experience, Flag Endorsement, Health Examination, Languages, National ID, Other Certificates, Passports, Physical Info, Profile Photo, Seamen ID, Sufficiency Preferences, Vaccinations, and Vessel Type Preferences. Each group contains structured fields for detailed data capture.

### How does the sign-in/sign-out process work?
Crew onboard activity follows a three-status lifecycle: assigned (crew member designated to a vessel), checked in (physically on board), and checked out (departed). When checking out, one of 31 specific reasons must be selected, organized into three groups: unavoidable (end of contract, illness, promotion, retirement, ship sold or laid up), beneficial (misconduct, falsified documents, underperformance, policy violations), and non-beneficial (low salary, fatigue, mobbing, unseaworthy ship, ship arrested). This granular tracking enables retention analytics.

### Can we manage crew contracts digitally?
Yes. Contracts come in six types and follow a four-status lifecycle: Active, Canceled, Expired, and Invalid. Each records the MLC employment terms, from the 10 social protection benefits to repatriation and the date the seafarer received a copy, and can produce a filled contract from your own template. Contracts ending soon show on the dashboard, and the wage on the contract is the one Navatom Payroll pays.

### What documents can be attached to crew profiles?
Nine document types are supported: Certificate, Medical Certificate, National ID, Passport, Police Visa, Seamen Book, Visa, Training Record Book, and Other. Each document is kept as a file with its type and a description, and certificates are tracked against 69 STCW-referenced certificate types with their number and issue and expiry dates. Flag endorsements sit on the profile, and you can set which certificates each rank needs on each vessel.

### How does the module handle multiple vessels?
The fleet list view shows the current crew complement for every vessel in your fleet, organized by department and rank. Real-time assignment tracking shows who is on which vessel, with status indicators for contract expiry and certificate validity. IMO crew lists for a vessel's arrival or departure can be printed for any vessel, on board or in the office. The master signs crew on and off on board, and the office sees each change in the same record.

### Is there an audit trail for profile changes?
Yes. Every modification to every crew profile is recorded as it happens, covering all 19 field groups, document changes, contract transitions, sign-in/sign-out actions, and edit consent requests. Each event carries full user attribution, timestamp, and contextual data, ready for ISM Code, MLC 2006, and flag state audits.

### Does Navatom record the terms MLC 2006 requires in a seafarer employment agreement?
Yes. Every contract records the social protection benefits it provides (medical care, sickness, unemployment, old-age, employment injury, family, maternity, invalidity and survivors' benefits, and shipowner liability), the notice period, the repatriation destination and who bears its cost, the financial security certificate number, when the seafarer was briefed on their rights, and when each party signed and the seafarer received a copy. The seafarer's record of employment prints from the same tours.

### How does Navatom calculate crew retention?
With the industry formula: 100% less the terminations of the last 12 months, leaving out unavoidable and beneficial ones, as a share of the average number employed. Every sign-off carries one of 31 reasons in three groups, so the dashboard can show officer, non-officer and overall retention and break it down by rank, vessel type, nationality and exit reason.

## Related modules
- [Work & Rest Hours](https://navatom.com/products/work-and-rest-hours): Track and report work and rest hours with MLC and STCW compliance.
- [Directory](https://navatom.com/products/directory): Centralized contact directory for vendors, suppliers, class societies, and stakeholders.
- [Training](https://navatom.com/products/training): Run onboard crew training from released curricula, record who attended, and sign it off in the office.

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