When travelling offshore in the marine and energy industry, the documentation you require may well be different from what you would typically see when travelling for more routine business travel. Whilst there may be some additional paperwork involved there are benefits to you such as eligibility for marine fares and a reduction in the need for Visa’s and entry permits.
Due to the shipping and energy industries’ unpredictable nature, marine and energy fares were created to offer discounts and enhanced flexibility to make air travel more manageable. These special fares are available to qualifying personnel travelling to work onboard ships, rigs, and wind farms.
One of the main documents required to qualify for these will be a seafarers logbook, which is similar to a passport for personnel working in the industry. This is to prove the eligibility for the fares, and without it you may be prevented from travelling or have to pay the full public rates.
For some roles however, such as a marine surveyor heading out to a ship, you may not have a seafarers discharge book (also known as a seafarers logbook or British seaman’s card). If that is the case then a second piece of documentation needed for all marine travel called the Marine and Offshore letter of guarantee can replace it.
A letter of guarantee must be a physical document, on company headed paper. It details the traveller’s name, ship or rig and job title.
Top Tip: A new Marine and Offshore Letter of Guarantee is required for each journey taken as it needs to detail the dates of travel and name of the ship/rig they are travelling to.
Our Marine and Energy Travel team are specialists in all the documentation and best practices when it comes to this area of travel and can provide you with advice about whether you qualify for these fares and benefits. Talk to us first as we find many organisations do not realise they are available and they qualify.
To Speak to the team, contact us today:
E: marine@good-travel.co.uk
T: 0330 004 0524