§10703 Procedures of Masters

Summary

When a seaman dies, the ship’s captain must take care of the seaman’s money, property, and wages. If the ship is bound for the United States, the captain must turn those over when the seaman’s employment agreement ends under section 10706. If the ship calls at a foreign port, the captain must report to the first available consular officer. The consular officer may require the captain to hand over the money, property, and wages, must give a receipt, and must note the delivery on the seaman’s agreement; that receipt is to be given to a U.S. district court when the agreement ends. If the consular officer does not require delivery, the officer must say so on the agreement and the captain must handle the money, property, and wages as section 10706 directs. Any deduction from a deceased seaman’s account is valid only if it is properly entered in the official logbook.