Calls for Crew Background Checks to Become Industry Standard Grow Louder

The death of a superyacht crewmember earlier this month has sent shockwaves through the yachting industry. It’s also led to an outpouring of calls for mandatory crew background checks, from within the industry itself.

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, a call around 1 p.m. on July 3 requested they come to a yacht docked in Harbour Island. (Crewmembers subsequently confirmed the yacht was the 141-foot/43-meter Far From It.) After arriving, police discovered a woman in the engine room, unresponsive and with noticeable injuries. Near her was a man with severe injuries to his arms. A doctor declared the woman dead. The police arrested the man and, suspecting he’d attempted suicide, transported him for medical assistance. Police haven’t identified either individual, although family and friends of the victim revealed she was 20-year-old Paige Bell (below). Police did state that the man is a 39-year-old Mexican national. (Several media and social media reports incorrectly identify him, and we cannot independently confirm his identity.) On July 9, he was arraigned on murder charges. He remains in jail, held without bail, awaiting a hearing in November.

As news of Bell’s death began to spread, fellow and former crewmembers have taken action. For instance, current and former captains and crew of the yacht Sweet Emocean, where Bell previously worked, set up a GoFundMe campaign. Supported by the owner’s representative for Sweet Emocean, too, the funds will help her family return her to her native South Africa, plus cover their costs of traveling to the Bahamas. As of press time, it has raised about $57,000, nearing its current $60,000 goal. “Paige was more than a teammate, she was family,” the Sweet Emocean crew state. “Whether it was long days at sea or quiet moments under the stars, she brought light and warmth wherever she went.”

Other yachting professionals, meanwhile, are vociferously calling for industry-wide crew background checks. There’s no information on whether the Mexican national accused of Bell’s murder had a criminal history. Regardless, a Change.org petition calling for mandatory criminal checks for crewmembers presently has upwards of 5,700 signatures. Jessie Frost, the founder of the crew-recruitment agency Crewfolio, launched it. “Overall, while there are existing regulations and guidelines related to working at sea, there are currently no universal provisions related to background checks for seafarers internationally,” Frost indicates.

She’s correct. The United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO) outlines standards for crew certification and working conditions, among other things. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has certification and training standards as well. Neither mentions crew background checks, whether for employment verification or criminal history. Notably, the U.S. Coast Guard requires crew background checks, but only to obtain a license to work on a U.S.-flagged vessel.

While Frost initially launched the Change.org petition two years ago, about half of the signatures have come in the days following Bell’s death. Once the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, Frost intends to present it to flag states, the ILO, and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The founders of Superyacht Fitness, one of whom had extensive yachting experience before establishing the company in 2022, want change as well. “Paige’s tragic death is a heartbreaking reminder that there are serious gaps in safeguarding, crew wellbeing, and accountability within our industry,” they write on LinkedIn. “This cannot continue. We owe it to Paige—and to every crew member—to demand better.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that few yacht managers and crew recruiters regularly perform background checks. Therefore, to identify what actually does take place, we contacted 19 firms focused on yacht management and crew placement. We included yacht-management companies that hire and/or manage crew on behalf of owners. Overall, three of the 19 companies provided information on the record at press time.

Marcy Williams, Northrop & Johnson’s director of crew services, says her team checks not just references, but also contacts captains or crew familiar with a potential hire who aren’t listed as references. “We do not do background checks, but do advise that the vessel does,” she adds. Her team will arrange the check on request, Williams continues, via a company capable of a broad scope. “We ask the client what they are specifically looking for, organize it, and invoice the client.” Primarily, she says, the smaller superyachts in Northrop & Johnson’s fleet request the service. “I feel all crew that are being considered for hire should have an extensive background check,” she states.

Blue Oceans Yachting specializes in crew recruitment, employment, management, and retention. It offers an online portal for potential crew to create a profile and then interview with a placement coordinator. Following that, they can upload their resume and express interest in jobs. Once Blue Oceans Yachting submits their resume to a captain or other hiring manager, “we will do further due diligence” on request, explains Ami Ira, its president and owner. With more than 1,000 people registering monthly, she notes, it’s cost prohibitive to check them all prior to interest. Nor is it entirely practical, she adds, considering some have no work experience.

That said, Ira continues, there are some exceptions. “I do have two boats in my management fleet, and we do have an internal policy that we background check everybody,” she says. “It’s two small boats, so we’re talking about four plus three, seven crew per year.” Across all other individuals in the Blue Oceans Yachting database, checks are performed on request. “I would say there’s less than 1 percent of the captains that we’ve placed and crew that we’ve placed where the owners have required a background check,” Ira states.

JMS Yachting does what many fellow yacht-management companies do in vetting crew. It conducts phone interviews, plus verifies certificates and employment history. Furthermore, it assesses whether a candidate’s work ethic, skill set, and personality suit a particular yacht. Yet, that’s where the similarities end. In fact, “We often get requests from owners or owners’ teams for any new joining crew to be background checked,” says Sam Thompson, the company’s commercial director and yacht manager, plus the co-founder of JMS Careers. The requests include criminal history.

Not only that, but “JMS Yachting is implementing a policy within our fleet to ensure all vessels conduct checks prior to hiring,” Thompson adds. “This is not as simple a process as it sounds, as it required re-drafting of contracts and SOPs as well as signing off on the additional costs to the clients.” The effort is receiving a bit of a boost presently, he explains, thanks to many junior-level or less-experienced crew already submitting themselves for background checks through CrewPass, the first background-checking service specifically for yacht crew. Though it’s still a rarity for experienced crew to voluntarily submit themselves, “We are seeing an increase in both crew and clients being proactive in background checks,” Thompson points out.

As to why crew background checks aren’t already standard procedures among more companies, those interviewed have a few theories. Firstly, “Often roles are to be filled within very short notice, even days,” Thompson says. “Background checks can take up to 14 days to come back and could add a delay in the hiring process.” Secondly, he believes the frequency with which crew relocate adds a challenge. “Background checks are done in the country of residence, and the checks may not come back accurately because they haven’t lived in that country,” he notes.

Williams believes some people might focus too much on the cost, which she says is a mistake. “Surely a ‘yacht’ has a couple hundred dollars to ensure they are getting a solid crewmember and not someone who has a record for illegal activity,” she says.

Ira sees emphasis on the wrong criteria coming especially from captains, who hire and replace crew. “It’s first nationality-based, and then it’s age-based, and then it’s who you know,” she says. Beyond that, “I can’t imagine having a yacht giving (someone) a credit card, giving her or him a credit card linked to my name, my credit score, without knowing whether they can manage their own money. That’s a credit check. That’s not even a criminal background check.” Plus, “it’s a moment in time. It’s a check for right now; do you have any offenses on the record? And tomorrow you could go and break the law and get arrested. …So from a practicality standpoint, I don’t know how you continuously check, or would it be even possible to do that?”

While some industry representatives review how to proceed, others remain steadfast in keeping Paige Bell front and center. On July 14, what would have been her 21st birthday, yacht crews around the world sounded their horns. Many also ate red velvet cake, a request from her mother. Today, meanwhile, The Crew Coach is holding crew-only sessions for voicing concerns, providing support, and effecting a difference. Sessions are taking place in the Mediterranean and in the United States. “Paige Bell’s tragic death has left many of us reeling with grief, anger, and an urgent call for change,” the company shares on Facebook. “Let’s make sure her legacy isn’t silence, it’s change.”

Blue Oceans Yachting blueoceansyachting.com

CrewPass crewpass.co.uk  

JMS Yachting jmsyachting.com

Northrop & Johnson northropandjohnson.com