Panama Maritime Authority requires ship owners resolve balticseamen seafarer’s onboard complaints to the satisfaction of the complainant as expeditiously as possible but within a period not exceeding thirteen (13) days from the date the seafarer first referred the matter to his superior or the head of department. To comply with the thirteen (13) day period, the Ship Owner has set up a time line for various stages of complaint handling procedure as outlined below and is applicable to Panama flag vessels within the fleet:
A complaint addressed to the head of department or superior officer shall attempt to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of the complainant within a period of three (3) days.
If the head of department or supervising officer cannot resolve the complaint to the satisfaction of the seafarer, the seafarer may refer it to the Master. The Master shall then endevour to complete investigation and resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible.
However, if the Master feels it is unlikely the complaint can be resolved on board after a period of five (5) days (counted from the date complaint was first lodged), the Master shall refer the complaint to the Fleet Personnel Manager at the Ship Owner.
The Fleet Personnel Manager, or his nominee, shall endeavor to arrive at a conciliated settlement with the concerned seafarer or any person they may appoint as their representative, within a period of eight (8) days (counted from date of receipt of the complaint from the Master).
Should the Fleet Personnel Manager fail to resolve the matter within the 8 day period, he shall refer the matter to the vessel’s flag administration and work closely to achieve a mutually acceptable solution within a period of 22 days.
A seafarer choosing to lodge his complaint directly
With an external authority may submit his complaint to a competent authority, such as flag State surveyor, Port State Control surveyor or the representative of the Technical Office of Segumar in a foreign country, who shall submit the complaint to the International Technical Segumar Offices Panama, which through the Maritime Labor Section shall carry out the corresponding process.
