Portage salarial pour les marins: support solutions for French professional sailors

Discover Yachting Crew’s portage salarial services for sailors and other maritime work companies.

Hello, Yachting Crew is an ETM company and we provide sailors to shipping companies.

As a professional sailor, I sometimes hear the term “société de portage salarial” used. Is this the same thing as an ETM shipping company?

Yes, exactly.

Are you limited to pavilions?

No, not at all, we do everything under one roof.

What are the most common flags chosen by shipping companies?

The English flag should account for 60%, and is the most attractive for yachts under 24 meters. Then there are the Marshall Islands, Cayman and Cook flags for yachts over 24 meters.

And finally, the French pavilion.

In concrete terms, as an ETM, what services do you offer to French sailors sailing under foreign flags?

With portage salarial and the provision of seafarers, seafarers can :

• To be able to have a Marine Commitment Contract under French law
• And tobe registered with Enim, Etablissement national des invalides de la marine, which is used to pay social security contributions and for the seaman’s pension.

We’ll be able to register all French seafarers with a contract under French law, as long as they are French residents.

Since the contract is French, must the seafarers’ medical examination be carried out in France? If not, which models are currently accepted?

Yes, for a French contract, you need a French seaman’s number and a seafarers’ medical examination obtained in France.

To embark under the RIF flag, the French international register, a European national must provide proof of a visit by the seafarers of his or her country.

Are your assignments limited to portage salarial for sailors or ETMs?

No, we can also manage everything under the French flag or RIF, i.e. :

• Drawing up employment contracts
• Drawing up pay slips
• Direct debit for the customer and all declarations

In fact, we handle all social matters for an external company.

Could you tell us about your range of services?

• Shipowner number request
• Application to open an account with Urssaf Poitou Charente, Urssaf for seafarers
• Fitting-out permit (only available under RIF flag for 2 years)
• Request a seaman’s number
• Fixed-term and open-ended employment contracts
• Salary slips
• Health insurance
• End of contract file
• Follow-up if problems arise

Can I sum it up as follows: you are an ETM for French sailors “seconded” under foreign flags and you manage the Register 1 fleet in France?

That’s right!

As regards holders of Belgian Master 200GT and Master 500GT CY (STCW) patents, once their recognition visa has been issued by the French authorities, which position(s) can they be enrolled for?

They can be enrolled in recognized patent functions. In other words, they can embark as Captain or Chief Mate with the same restrictions as the original certificate.

• These certificates are valid for commercial yachts.
• M200GT CY holders will be limited to yachts of up to 24 meters in length or with a tonnage of less than 200GT, sailing no further than 30MN.
• M500GT CY holders will be limited to commercial yachts of up to 500GT gross tonnage, with a maximum range of 200MN.

And on yachts of greater length or tonnage, they can be enlisted as deckhands.

Impressive, and could you also suggest some competent team members?

Not in the immediate future, but thanks to our experience and privileged contacts with armament companies, we have a good understanding of their needs. Some companies, such as K Yachting, do a good job of this.

How many sailors have you accompanied?

So it was my father who started the business in 2001, and I joined him in 2010, and since I’ve been here, we’ve had over five hundred sailors in all, which gives us a certain amount of experience.

“Yes, thank you, I was able to benefit from your support during my last embarkation as Second Captain on a RIF yacht, and your skills were as useful to the shipping company as they were to all the crew. It’s not always easy for officers to keep up to date with social developments, and for the shipping company to keep up with regulatory changes.”

Gaëlle Darmon Soyer – The Yachter instructor