Legal Definitions - seaman

A seaman is a legal term in maritime law that describes an individual who works as an employee on a vessel operating on navigable waters. To be classified as a seaman, the person must have a significant connection to the vessel and contribute to its function, maintenance, or the accomplishment of its mission. This designation is crucial because it determines eligibility for specific legal protections and compensation benefits, particularly concerning injuries sustained while working.

Here are some examples illustrating who might be considered a seaman:

• Maria works as a deckhand on a commercial fishing trawler that regularly sails in the Pacific Ocean. Her duties include maintaining fishing gear, assisting with the catch, and performing general upkeep of the vessel.

  Maria qualifies as a seaman because she is an employee, her work is performed on a navigating vessel (the trawler), and her duties directly contribute to the vessel's primary mission of fishing and its overall operation.

• David is a musician employed by a large cruise line, performing nightly shows on a passenger ship that travels between Caribbean islands. He lives and works aboard the ship for months at a time.

  David is considered a seaman because he is an employee whose primary workplace is a navigating vessel (the cruise ship). Although his role isn't directly related to navigation, his performances are integral to the ship's mission of providing entertainment and leisure to passengers, thus contributing to the accomplishment of its mission.

• Sarah is a technician responsible for maintaining equipment on a specialized floating platform used for constructing and servicing offshore wind turbines. She lives on the platform for weeks at a time while it is anchored in various locations in the ocean.

  Sarah meets the definition of a seaman. She is an employee whose work is performed on a floating structure considered a "vessel" in maritime law. Her technical duties are essential to the platform's mission of supporting wind farm development, establishing her significant connection and contribution to the vessel's function.