BG Verkehr / Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit
Referat ISM/ILO - Bereich Seearbeitsrecht
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg

Fax: +49 40 361 37-204


Tilo Berger
Phone: +49 40 361 37-213
Mail: ism-mlc@bg-verkehr.de


Sven Reese
Phone: +49 40 361 37-313
Mail: ism-mlc@bg-verkehr.de


Kathrin Saß
Phone: +49 40 361 37-260
Mail: ism-mlc@bg-verkehr.de


Florian Reise
Phone: +49 40 361 37-214
Mail: ism-mlc@bg-verkehr.de

Recruitment of seafarers

Private seafarer recruitment and placement agencies must be approved

Private seafarer recruitment and placement services are quite common in the shipping industry. The Maritime Labour Convention requires that flag states supervise and approve seafarer recruitment and placement agencies established in their territory, e.g., in order to prevent seafarers from being forced to pay a placement fee to their employer. Shipowners may only use recruitment and placement services approved by the competent authority.

What does „recruitment and placement“ mean?

Private recruitment and placement is the commercial manning of open jobs by private agencies. Internal recruitment and placement of seafarers by an independent subsidiary company of a shipping company also falls in this category according to maritime labour law.

It is, however, not a case of recruitment and placement, but rather of the so called supply of temporary agency workers if the agency itself is the employer (supplier) of the respective seafarer (temporary agency worker) and loans him or her, within the scope of his or her economic activity, to a third party (user of the worker’s services) to work for. The supplier of temporary agency workers requires a licence by the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).

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Approval procedure for private recruitment and placement services in Germany

Since 1. August 2013 private maritime recruitment and placement services based in Germany may only be used if they are approved with a certificate of approval by the Ship Safety Division of the BG Verkehr. Those private maritime recruitment and placement services that are based in Germany but also recruit and place seafarers for crews on ships flying foreign flags still require a certificate of approval by the Ship Safety Division of BG Verkehr.

For application please use the application form for approval of private recruitment and placement services.

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Private recruitment and placement services for seafarers approved in Germany

The following maritime recruitment and placement services in Germany have been approved by the ship safety division:

Name of recruitment and placement service Certificate valid until

Acet Events, Delmenhorst

18.04.2026

Agentur: Förster-Huang GmbH, Timmendorfer Strand

12.03.2025

Alfa Ship & Crew Management, Hamburg

19.08.2025

ALSTER MARINE SERVICES GmbH, Hamburg

01.08.2025

Amas Maritime Service GmbH, Hamburg

09.04.2025

Amazsa Hamburg GmbH, Hamburg

12.09.2025

Atlantic Lloyd GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

24.06.2027

Baltic Sea Crew Management GmbH, Lübeck

03.06.2025

BCM Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Leer

20.11.2026

Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

27.02.2025

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Deutschland) GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

18.04.2025

BestShip GmbH & Cie. KG, Hamburg

21.04.2024

Briese Crew Management GmbH, Leer

26.05.2025

Chemtrans Crewmanagement GmbH, Hamburg

24.07.2025

claus rodenberg shipmanagement gmbh, Kastorf

12.03.2026

Columbia Shipmanagement (Deutschland) GmbH, Hamburg

29.01.2026

CPO Crewing GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

04.05.2027

Crew & More GmbH, Grasbrunn

14.09.2024

CAMMON GmbH, Duisburg

08.07.2025

DEKRA Arbeit GmbH, Stuttgart

20.05.2027

Döhle Personalmanagement GmbH, Hamburg

29.07.2025

DS Crewing GmbH, Hamburg

07.03.2025

ECS - Essberger Crewing Services GmbH, Hamburg

02.05.2025

EMA Marine GmbH, Hamburg

13.06.2025

Ernst Russ Consulting GmbH, Hamburg

12.09.2025

GCC German Crew Center GmbH, Hamburg

29.09.2027

Globe Ship Agency GmbH, Hamburg

29.07.2025

Hammonia CrewCo GmbH, Hamburg

26.09.2025

Hanseatic Connect GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

24.06.2027

Hanseatic Maritime Health (HMH) GmbH, Hamburg

22.09.2027

Harren Shipping Services GmbH & Co. KG, Haren (Ems), Bremen

07.09.2024

Hartmann Crew Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Leer

03.07.2025

Helios Ship Management GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

30.06.2025

Interorient Crew Services (Germany) GmbH, Hamburg

18.12.2025

Lighthaus-Marine GmbH, Hamburg

04.04.2025

Lighthaus-Marine Europe GmbH, Hamburg

23.01.2027

Lubeca Marine Management GmbH & Co. KG, Lübeck

21.05.2025

Lydia Mar Shipping GmbH, Hamburg

25.03.2025

manx ocean germany GmbH, Oldendorf

30.07.2025

Marcrew Schiffahrts GmbH, Hamburg

05.06.2025

Marine Medical Solutions GmbH, Hohen Neuendorf

16.12.2024

Martracon Crewmanagement GmbH, Hamburg

12.05.2025

Martracon Deutschland LTD, Hamburg

13.06.2025

MINMARINE Shipmanagement GmbH & Co. KG, Schnaittenbach

25.09.2027

MINMARINE MPP Shipmanegement GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

06.10.2027

Navalis Crewing GmbH & Co. KG, Oldendorf

15.11.2026

Nordic Hamburg Crewing Services GmbH, Hamburg

04.01.2026

Nordic Hamburg Shipmanagement GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

03.07.2025

Nordsee Nassbagger- und Tiefbau GmbH, Bremen

10.12.2024

Northern Crewing Services GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

16.04.2025

Northwest Competence GmbH, Leer

27.06.2025

NSB Crewing Solutions GmbH, Buxtehude

24.07.2026

NSC Shipping GmbH & Cie. KG, Hamburg

13.10.2025

Oleksiy Sukhovsky, Leer

14.11.2027

over-C Crewing GmbH & Co. KG, Haren

31.12.2027

O.S. Energy GmbH - Marine Power Solutions, Glückstadt

21.08.2026

PALSupport GmbH, Wilhelmshaven

25.04.2027

Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, Hamburg

29.07.2025

PN Ventures FZCO, Maritime & Healthcare Group, Berlin

11.02.2027

PRONAV Schiffahrtsberatung GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

21.04.2025

Reederei F. Laeisz G.m.b.H, Rostock

06.11.2026

RHL Hamburger Lloyd Crewmanagement GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

20.11.2025

SAL Heavy Lift GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

07.02.2027

Saltgate Shipmanagement GmbH, Stade

16.06.2025

Ships Crew Management, Gerardo J. Tolentino, Hamburg

26.06.2025

Stefan Liebig - backup jobs agency, Ronneburg

03.07.2026

Team Ship Crew GmbH & Co. KG, Wentorf

26.08.2025

Thome Tanker Management Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

09.11.2024

TURTLE GmbH, Hamburg

14.10.2026

UHL Crewing GmbH, Hamburg

12.11.2026

Uniteam Marine Shipping GmbH, Hamburg

05.06.2025

United Lloyd Crewing GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen

31.01.2026

United Maritime Crewing Services UG, Hamburg

24.11.2027

UOS Crew Services UG (haftungsbeschränkt) & Co. KG, Leer

04.10.2026

USC Crew GmbH, Drochtersen

26.02.2026

UVIS UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Berlin

25.06.2026

ZEABORN Navigation GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

13.06.2025

ZEABORN Crew Management GmbH & Cie. KG, Hamburg

21.05.2025

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Publication of problems which may arise when signing on on a ship which flies the flag of a state that has not ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (Section 26 para 4 Maritime Labour Act)

Crew members on board ships flying a flag of a state that has ratified the Maritime Labour Convention have a right to be repatriated according to Regulation 2.5 of the Maritme Labour Convention at no cost to themselves when the seafarer's employment agreement is terminated. 

For given reason the Ship Safety Division of the BG Verkehr likes to point out that there is no right to be repatriated at no cost to themselves when signing on on a ship which flies the flag of a state that has not ratified the Maritime Labour Convention.

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Public recruitment and placement agency for seafarers in Germany

Next to the private recruitment and placement agencies for seafarers, the public recruitment and placement of seafarers by the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (federal employment agency) plays an important role. The Zentrale Heuerstelle Hamburg of the Bundeagentur für Arbeit is responsible for the placement of seafarers throughout Germany.

The Heuerstelle informs, advises and places professional and managerial personnel of the maritime sector free of charge. Their staff informs and advises about training opportunities and helps find vocational training positions in maritime transport.

Find further in information about the Zentrale Heuerstelle Hamburg at the web pages of the Heuerstelle.

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