- The chief engineer is unconscious on the engine room plates. The captain is calling for a helicopter, the guests are asleep two decks up, and someone will need the crew member passport, medical insurance details, next-of-kin and a written timeline. That someone is you, and the quality of what you produce in the next hour will still matter in two years.
The purser role in a crisis
The captain commands. The purser documents, notifies and supports. Your value is that you are the person who is calm, has the file, and starts the clock.
The universal sequence
- Life safety first. Never let administration delay a medical or safety response.
- Notify the captain, and then follow the SMS. The SMS emergency procedures and contact list are the authority, not your memory.
- Start a contemporaneous log: times, actions, decisions, who was told, what was said. Times to the minute, in one time zone, stated.
- Notify shore: the DPA and the management company. They notify insurers, flag and, where required, authorities.
- Preserve evidence: photographs, records, statements, equipment, CCTV where it exists. Do not alter anything.
- Control information: nobody speaks to media, guests or social media. All external communication goes through the captain and the management company.
By event type
| Event | Who is called, in order | Key documents |
|---|---|---|
| Crew medical evacuation | Captain, telemedical service, coastguard/MRCC, agent, DPA/manager, insurer, next of kin (per policy, usually by the company) | Passport, medical insurance and policy number, SEA, medical history, crew list, log of events |
| Death onboard | Captain, MRCC/authorities, DPA/manager, flag state, insurers, local police and agent in port | Passport, SEA, official log entry, statements, do not disturb the scene, follow flag and local authority instructions |
| Serious guest incident | Captain, medical support, DPA/manager, insurer, broker | Incident report, witness statements, guest details, medical treatment record, photographs |
| Security incident (intruder, theft, threat) | Captain and SSO, local authorities, port facility security officer, DPA | Security log, visitor log, CCTV, ISPS records, statements |
| Insurance claim | Captain, DPA/manager, broker and underwriters within the notification deadline | Incident report, photographs, invoices, survey reports, log extracts |
| Port state detention | Captain, DPA/manager, flag state, class, agent, lawyers as instructed | Deficiency list, certificates, rectification plan, correspondence |
After the event
Debrief. Complete the incident report. File everything in one place. Check whether crew need support, and say so out loud: yacht crews are very bad at asking for it, and the purser is often the person best placed to notice.
Onboard Notes
- Next-of-kin notification is almost never a job for the purser acting alone. Follow the SMS and the management company procedure; a well-meaning phone call can cause lasting harm.
- Write the log as you go, not from memory afterwards. Reconstructed timelines are attacked in every investigation.
- This is not legal or insurance advice. In a serious incident, the yacht speaks through the captain, the management company and the lawyers and insurers instructed.