Conrad Empson, the baby faced Bosun from the Below Decks Mediterranean TV series has come up with yet another business idea.
He has conceived and brought to market, a novel new way for superyacht Captains to check crew references and carry out background checks on potential hiring’s.
It was after serving as the Bosun and as a Below Decks cast member on board Captain Sandy Yawn’s 60 metre superyacht Bravo TV command, that Conrad Empson conceived of the idea that has now been launched as Crewpass.
Having tried and failed as a property developer and TV pundit in New York, Conrad Empson fell to earth, and came ashore back in the UK to work for Marineguard.
Marineguard have been developing superyacht security systems and products for over 20 years and has now seen them installed on some of the largest superyachts in the world.
Marineguard owner Richard Webb had quickly discovered that when it comes to superyacht security it was the crews that worked on board who were the weakest link. In a bid to put that to right he empowered Conrad Empson to create Crewpass which is a self-supporting and separate identity.
Essentially Crewpass is an elaborate and advanced global background check and identification verification system that reassures captains and provides a safer environment on board and for both owner and guests.
Freely available to Captains who register using a yacht account, the system also acts as a Fire Board or In and Out record to show electronically who is on board, who is on leave, and who is simply ashore for an hour or so.
Crewpass is driven by crew who become paying members. No matter what country a crew member hails from, they can individually submit basic information to Crewpass who then carry out the checks into any previous criminal activity and other background. The checks include, ID verification, the sex offenders register and even the global sanctions list.
In due course, the idea is that Crewpass will also check with the MCA that the certificates the crew member claims to hold, are indeed valid.
The advantages for the Captain, are plain to see. He will know that crew he hires will have gone through the same vetting system as teachers, police officers and scout leaders go through in the UK.
Equally, crew recruitment agencies and management companies who sign up can ensure that only fully vetted crew members are allowed on board.
The system allows Captains to improve crew daily operations, ensuring the safety and security of everyone on board, by enabling them to check, communicate, and monitor the movements of crew members.
Signing up with Crewpass gives each crew member who does so, a digital identification badge confirming that they have been fully vetted and proves they have a clean and verifiable record with Crewpass accreditation. It also allows crew to digitally log and keep track of sea time and acts as an electronic filing cabinet to hold all references granted to him or her as and when they leave the yacht and seek employment elsewhere
A simple on-line sign-up process allows the individual crew member the option of paying for the 24 month contracted period at either £9.99 per month or £99 for 12 months.
Agencies such as Viking Crew and Bespoke Crew, are already supporting Conrad Empson and his Crewpass as a method of accreditation in the hope that in time, it becomes an industry standard.