Do I need separate crew insurance if I already have a yacht P&I policy?

It depends on what your P&I wording actually covers. Many yacht P&I policies include crew liability as standard, but the scope varies — some cap maintenance and cure payments, others exclude certain crew categories or require crew to hold specific certifications. Crew personal accident cover, which pays benefits directly to the crew member, is almost always a separate policy. Ask your broker to pull the actual wording and confirm what's included before assuming you're covered.

What happens if a crew member is injured during a hurricane repositioning move?

The injury is still your liability exposure under maritime law, and maintenance and cure obligations apply regardless of the circumstances. The key question is whether your P&I policy responds during a named storm event. Some policies include exclusions or conditions tied to hurricane plan compliance — if you haven't filed your hurricane plan with the underwriter or if the vessel was outside its approved lay-up location, you could face a coverage dispute. Review the hurricane plan requirements in your policy before June 1 each year.

Does MLC 2006 apply to my US-flagged private yacht?

The US has not ratified MLC 2006, so it does not apply as a matter of US law to a US-flagged private vessel. However, if you enter foreign ports in the Bahamas or Caribbean, port state control officers from MLC ratifying states can inspect vessels of any flag for MLC compliance. More practically, if you operate under a charter agreement or your crew are nationals of MLC ratifying states, contractual and practical pressure to meet MLC standards is real. Your broker should advise you on whether MLC financial security certificates make sense for your specific operation.

What do you need from me to get a crew insurance quote?

At minimum: your vessel's USCG documentation number or state registration, LOA in feet, flag state, a crew roster with roles and STCW or USCG license details, your intended cruising grounds for the coming year, any existing P&I or crew accident policy, and your claims history for the past five years. If you're operating under a charter agreement, send us the insurance requirements clause — charter operators often set P&I minimums that affect what limits we need to place.

How long does it take to bind crew cover?

For a straightforward private yacht with a stable professional crew and clean claims history, a specialist underwriter can typically provide a firm indication within a few business days of receiving a complete submission. Charter operations, larger crew rosters, or prior claims will take longer. Binding is usually possible within a week of agreeing terms, but don't leave it to the week before a crew rotation or charter season — underwriters need time to review the submission properly, and rushed placements tend to produce policy wordings with gaps.

If I use a crew management agency, am I still personally liable for crew injuries?

Almost certainly yes, as the vessel owner. Under US maritime law, the vessel owner's liability for maintenance and cure and unseaworthiness claims is not eliminated by using a crew agency. The agency may carry its own employer's liability cover, but that is typically excess to or separate from your exposure as the owner. You should maintain your own P&I crew cover regardless of the employment structure, and your broker should confirm in writing how the two policies interact.

Yacht Crew Insurance: What Florida Owners Need

Written by the Florida Yacht Cover editorial team · reviewed by Anton Kuznetsov, founder

If you run a professional crew — even a single paid captain — your personal yacht policy almost certainly does not cover the liability exposure that comes with it. Crew injury claims, medical repatriation, and wage continuation after an accident are distinct risks that sit outside standard hull and machinery cover. Whether you're based in Fort Lauderdale, cruising the Bahamas, or running charters in the Caribbean, understanding how yacht crew insurance works before something goes wrong is the difference between a manageable claim and a six-figure personal liability.

What Yacht Crew Insurance Actually Covers

Yacht crew insurance is not a single policy — it's a combination of covers that together protect you, your vessel, and the people working aboard. The core components are Protection and Indemnity (P&I) for crew liability, crew personal accident and medical expense cover, and, where applicable, compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006). Each layer addresses a different exposure, and gaps between them are where owners get hurt financially.

P&I cover responds when a crew member is injured aboard and brings a claim against you as the vessel owner or operator. Under US maritime law, the doctrines of maintenance and cure and unseaworthiness give injured seafarers powerful rights that go well beyond standard workers' compensation. Maintenance and cure requires you to pay a daily living allowance and cover all medical expenses until the crew member reaches maximum medical improvement — regardless of fault. Unseaworthiness claims can follow if the vessel or its equipment contributed to the injury. Your P&I policy is what stands between you and those obligations.

Crew personal accident cover is a separate, first-party benefit paid directly to the crew member or their beneficiaries. It typically includes accidental death and dismemberment, weekly disability income, and emergency medical and repatriation expenses. For owners running a professional crew, this cover is both a crew retention tool and a practical way to cap your exposure before a P&I claim escalates.

MLC 2006 and Why It Matters to Florida Yacht Owners

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 sets minimum standards for crew welfare — medical care, repatriation, and financial security — on commercial vessels. If your yacht is flagged in an MLC ratifying state and operates commercially (including bareboat or crewed charter), your flag state may require you to carry MLC-compliant financial security. Even if your yacht is privately operated, many charter contracts and port state control inspections in the Caribbean and Bahamas now scrutinize crew welfare documentation.

MLC 2006 compliance cover typically provides the financial security certificates required under Regulation 4.2 (shipowner's liability) and Regulation 2.5 (repatriation). Without these, you can face port detentions, charter contract breaches, or personal liability for crew repatriation costs that run well into five figures when flights, medical escorts, and accommodation are included.

If your yacht is US-flagged and operated purely as a private vessel, MLC 2006 may not apply directly — the US has not ratified the Convention. But the moment you take on paid crew, enter foreign ports, or operate under a charter agreement governed by a foreign jurisdiction, the practical and contractual pressure to meet MLC standards increases significantly. Your broker should be asking the underwriter whether the P&I wording includes MLC financial security certificates, not leaving you to find out at a port inspection in Nassau or Bridgetown.

Navigation Limits, Hurricane Plans, and Crew Cover

Your crew cover does not exist in isolation — it is tied to the navigation limits and operational conditions on your hull and P&I policy. If your vessel is outside its agreed navigation area when a crew member is injured, you may find your P&I cover voided or subject to a warranty breach defense. Florida-based yachts cruising the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean, or the Gulf of Mexico need navigation limits that explicitly cover those waters, including any offshore passages.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Most specialist policies for Florida yachts include a hurricane plan requirement — a written procedure specifying where the vessel will be laid up or how it will be moved out of the named storm zone during the season. A crew member injured while executing a hurricane plan movement is still your liability exposure. Make sure your P&I wording does not exclude crew claims arising during named storm repositioning, and confirm that your hurricane plan is filed with the underwriter before the season opens.

Named storm deductibles on your hull and machinery policy are a separate issue from crew liability, but they interact in practice. A major storm event that damages the vessel may simultaneously injure crew. The hull claim and the P&I crew claim will be handled separately, but both need to be reported promptly. Delays in reporting crew injuries — even minor ones — can complicate maintenance and cure obligations and give opposing counsel grounds to argue you failed to act in good faith.

Charter Operations and Crew Liability

Running your yacht under a crewed charter arrangement changes the liability picture materially. Charter guests are not crew, but the crew working during a charter are still your employees or contractors, and the P&I exposure for crew injury during a commercial voyage is the same as on a private trip — arguably higher, given the increased operational tempo.

Your charter contract will almost certainly require you to maintain specified P&I limits and to name the charter management company or charterer as an additional insured. Before you sign any charter agreement, have your broker review the insurance requirements clause. Minimum P&I limits set by charter operators in the Bahamas and Caribbean are often higher than what a standard yacht policy provides, and the gap is your personal exposure.

If you employ crew through a crew management agency, check whether the agency's own employer's liability cover is primary or excess to yours. In most cases, you as the vessel owner retain the primary liability exposure under maritime law regardless of the employment structure. The agency's cover, if any, is not a substitute for your own P&I crew cover.

What to Bring When You Request a Quote

Crew insurance underwriters need specific information to assess your risk accurately. Vague submissions result in either declined quotes or policies with exclusions you won't discover until a claim. Come prepared with the following before approaching a specialist broker.

The more detail you provide upfront, the faster your broker can get a firm indication from underwriters and the less likely you are to face coverage disputes later.

Vessel details: LOA in feet, year built, hull material, current USCG documentation number or state registration, flag state
Crew roster: number of crew, roles (captain, mate, engineer, steward), employment status (employed directly by you, through an agency, or as independent contractors), nationality and country of residence
Certificates and qualifications: USCG licenses, STCW certificates, ENG-1 or equivalent medical certificates for each crew member
Operational profile: private use, bareboat charter, crewed charter, or a mix; intended cruising grounds and any offshore passages planned
Existing cover: current P&I policy wording, any crew personal accident cover already in place, MLC financial security certificates if applicable
Claims history: any crew injury or illness claims in the past five years, including near-misses that resulted in medical treatment

Renewal: What Changes and What to Watch

Crew insurance is not a set-and-forget purchase. Your exposure changes every time you change crew, add a charter season, extend your cruising grounds, or take on a larger vessel. At renewal, your broker should be reviewing the crew roster against the policy, confirming that STCW and medical certificates are current, and checking whether the P&I limits still meet any charter contract requirements you've signed since the last renewal.

Underwriters pay close attention to crew turnover and the qualifications of your captain. A vessel with a stable, well-credentialed professional crew and a clean claims history will attract better terms than one with frequent crew changes and lapsed certificates. If you've had a crew injury claim during the policy year, be prepared for underwriters to ask detailed questions about the circumstances and what corrective measures you've taken.

The specialist market for yacht crew insurance is not the same as the admitted US market for personal lines. Policies are typically placed on a surplus lines basis, which means the terms, limits, and exclusions can be negotiated — but only if your broker is asking the right questions on your behalf. Before you accept a renewal quote, ask your broker to confirm that the P&I wording includes maintenance and cure without a sub-limit, that MLC financial security is included if required by your flag state, and that the navigation limits match your actual cruising plans for the coming year.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need separate crew insurance if I already have a yacht P&I policy?: It depends on what your P&I wording actually covers. Many yacht P&I policies include crew liability as standard, but the scope varies — some cap maintenance and cure payments, others exclude certain crew categories or require crew to hold specific certifications. Crew personal accident cover, which pays benefits directly to the crew member, is almost always a separate policy. Ask your broker to pull the actual wording and confirm what's included before assuming you're covered.
What happens if a crew member is injured during a hurricane repositioning move?: The injury is still your liability exposure under maritime law, and maintenance and cure obligations apply regardless of the circumstances. The key question is whether your P&I policy responds during a named storm event. Some policies include exclusions or conditions tied to hurricane plan compliance — if you haven't filed your hurricane plan with the underwriter or if the vessel was outside its approved lay-up location, you could face a coverage dispute. Review the hurricane plan requirements in your policy before June 1 each year.
Does MLC 2006 apply to my US-flagged private yacht?: The US has not ratified MLC 2006, so it does not apply as a matter of US law to a US-flagged private vessel. However, if you enter foreign ports in the Bahamas or Caribbean, port state control officers from MLC ratifying states can inspect vessels of any flag for MLC compliance. More practically, if you operate under a charter agreement or your crew are nationals of MLC ratifying states, contractual and practical pressure to meet MLC standards is real. Your broker should advise you on whether MLC financial security certificates make sense for your specific operation.
What do you need from me to get a crew insurance quote?: At minimum: your vessel's USCG documentation number or state registration, LOA in feet, flag state, a crew roster with roles and STCW or USCG license details, your intended cruising grounds for the coming year, any existing P&I or crew accident policy, and your claims history for the past five years. If you're operating under a charter agreement, send us the insurance requirements clause — charter operators often set P&I minimums that affect what limits we need to place.
How long does it take to bind crew cover?: For a straightforward private yacht with a stable professional crew and clean claims history, a specialist underwriter can typically provide a firm indication within a few business days of receiving a complete submission. Charter operations, larger crew rosters, or prior claims will take longer. Binding is usually possible within a week of agreeing terms, but don't leave it to the week before a crew rotation or charter season — underwriters need time to review the submission properly, and rushed placements tend to produce policy wordings with gaps.
If I use a crew management agency, am I still personally liable for crew injuries?: Almost certainly yes, as the vessel owner. Under US maritime law, the vessel owner's liability for maintenance and cure and unseaworthiness claims is not eliminated by using a crew agency. The agency may carry its own employer's liability cover, but that is typically excess to or separate from your exposure as the owner. You should maintain your own P&I crew cover regardless of the employment structure, and your broker should confirm in writing how the two policies interact.

If you're running paid crew on a Florida-based yacht — whether you're cruising the Bahamas, chartering in the Caribbean, or laid up on the Gulf coast — talk to us before your next crew rotation or charter season. We'll review your existing P&I and crew cover, identify gaps against your charter contracts and flag state obligations, and get you a firm indication from specialist underwriters. Bring your crew roster, vessel documentation, and any charter agreements you've signed, and we'll take it from there.