Captain speaks out after dismissal from 'Grayzone'

The Crew Report recently heard from Captain Stève Pondart, ex-captain of 43m motoryacht Grayzone, about his reasons for taking legal action following dismissal from the yacht. “I am working with my lawyer not only to proceed with the Civil Court about my unfair dismissal but also with the Criminal Court against my employer, the Management Company and Luxembourg Flag State,” begins Captain Pondart, citing his intention; “Not only to reveal these parties but also to reveal any other parties that may be responsible for falsification of official documents, harassment and putting lives at risk.”


“I was employed on board yacht Grayzone, under the Luxembourg flag, as captain last July,” continues Captain Pondart. “It had been brought from its shipyard in Turkey to a shipyard in Marseille via a stop in Monaco and an owner trip. Many non-compliances had to be corrected in the shipyard in Marseille and we only obtained the fire-fighting certificates of approval when I was on board last August, meaning that it travelled from Turkey to Marseille, and had passengers on board during the owner trip, without the relevant documents.”

Captain Pondart then explained the events surrounding his dismissal. “The manager came on board on 27 September to try and dismiss me without the relevant documents required by Luxembourg Maritime Laws,” he says. “In accordance with these laws, I called Port State Control in order to remove the manager who then returned the next day with all the official documents.”

“Under the Luxembourg flag,” Captain Pondart explains, “if a yacht has stayed more than ten days in the shipyard, the management can disarm the yacht and cancel the safe manning certificates so that the yacht does not have to carry the minimum crew on board as required by the flag state. Grayzone was disarmed after a stay of over ten days in the shipyard in Marseille. It is legal to dismiss the crew once a yacht is disarmed and this was one of the reasons cited by the management in my dismissal letter. However, I was the only one to be dismissed and a new captain was employed the same day of my dismissal."

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"We all need to work, but until some crew will continue to not respect the laws, the crew who want to respect them will be 'black listed', remaining jobless." - Captain Stève Pondart

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By taking legal action, Captain Pondart wishes to set an example to other crew that the industry needs to be more professional. “How many crew could confirm similar stories?” He asks. “A lot. But how many would have the courage to do it? Very little. The unwritten code of silence in yachting is a shame." Captain Pondart also believes that being professional is putting some crew at a disadvantage in the industry. "Our job is to make yacht owners happy but our responsibility is to make their lives safe, as well as the crew," he explains. "We all need to work, but while some crew continue to not respect the laws, the crew who want to respect them will be 'black listed', remaining jobless, when they should be the first ones to be employed because of their thoroughness and professionalism.”

Because of the small and private nature of our industry, crew are often hesitant about standing up against employers for a number of reasons and there is sometimes a stigma held over those that do because of the fear of discouraging owners from our industry, but this attitude could also be fuelling unprofessionalism. Share your opinions about unfair dismissal in the industry in our online debate here.

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