Criminal background checks are standard in many industries, but the opaque nature of yachting employment regulations has allowed many crew members to circumnavigate any potential ramifications of a criminal record. While equal employment opportunity should be extended to all candidates, a lack of transparency has arguably led to several high-profile cases of abuse onboard in recent years. 

A number of recruitment agencies have already integrated with CrewPass, allowing candidates to set themselves apart from the competition with an Approved status, or offering it to employers at cost, but Quay Crew stress that this is the first partnership to include background checks as part of the standard recruitment fee. The CrewPass service includes criminal background checks, ID verification and certification validity of individuals, resulting in an approved certification lasting two years. 

Tim Clarke, co-founder and Director at Quay Crew

Tim Clarke, co-founder and Director at Quay Crew, said: “The safety of yacht owners, their families and guests has always been of paramount importance, but as the yachting sector and its recruitment and referencing processes mature, a growing number of yachts are now requiring full criminal background checks of crew.

“We’ve always followed a stringent referencing and document validity process, but this added level of due diligence offered in partnership with CrewPass goes that extra mile.

“When yachts put it into perspective, background-checking staff is an excellent way of protecting vulnerable groups onboard with whom crew interact on a one-to-one basis, such as High Net Worth individuals and children. Simple reference checks are not sufficient to fully comprehend a candidate's suitability or history.

Even on land, employers should feel confident that they are doing everything to ensure the safety of their business, existing employees and clients/customers.”

CrewPass was created to specifically benefit the superyacht industry, unlike other more generic background-checking companies. It caters checks to the yachting industry to provide a more bespoke service to satisfy yacht crew, recruiters and clients as well as the peace of mind of yacht owners.

Conrad Empson, Managing Director of CrewPass

Conrad Empson, Managing Director of CrewPass, added: “Yachting is, by its very nature, an international and fluid industry, with people frequently moving around the world. This can make it fairly easy to take on new identities, leaving entire lives behind, with no straightforward global protocol to follow for background checks.

With the average Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) individual having a net worth in excess of $30m, they are often targets of crime. And following Covid, many have sought the isolation, solitude and freedom that owning a superyacht can offer, which is why there has been such a flurry of build and brokerage activity.

It’s therefore paramount to ensure those yacht owners, and anyone operating in the industry, are afforded the top level of security from the people who work with and for them.”

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