Are cargo ship sailors allowed to enter foreign countries?

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Just curious, when a freighter docks in another country, say a Chinese ship delivering goods to New York City, are the sailors allowed to leave the ship and walk around New York, go to a bar etc. for example. The same goes for like a British sailor in South America or whatever.
SHARK WEAK! Why do you FEEL the need to CAPITALIZE certain WORDS!

In my time as a British merchant seaman (Engineer Officer) I never experienced any restrictions in going ashore in foreign ports although in some places a little diplomacy was advisable. (In communist China, openly carrying a copy of the ‘Little Red Book’ ashore was quite usual. Everyone in the crew was given one on arrival, so taking it with you was deemed an act of courtesy).
There were no obvious restrictions in Leningrad, though we were probably being observed.
In the good old US it was very open. We carried crewmen’s visas issued by the Department of Immigration and suffered no restrictions. The furthest that I got away from the ship was a Sunday round trip of 160 miles to Orange Springs FL from Jacksonville FL.
Bermuda was the only place where I saw any restrictions. Royal Canadian Navy personnel under the rank of CPO were not allowed shore leave.
Nowhere were passports obligatory if you entered the country as a crew member. For purposes of identity, a British Seaman’s Discharge Book was accepted as a valid document.

Posted in Cargo Bar | 6 Comments »

6 Comments

  1. Nomadd says:
    February 1, 2012 at 4:58 am

    Every country is different. And the rules are different depending on the flag and origin of the ship along with the nationalities of the visiting seamen.
    References :

  2. Shark Weak says:
    February 1, 2012 at 5:39 am

    Generally speaking, if they are FLAG or DECK OFFICERS or other MARITIME LICENSED PERSONNEL then they are usually allowed to enter a country.. Common DECK HANDS are not usually quite as lucky. MILITARY SHIP have their own rules and regulations that are recognized because of INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
    References :

  3. Richard C says:
    February 1, 2012 at 5:55 am

    In most cases, yes they are allowed to visit in the Port of call. They must have a passport, and in most cases clear customs (when leaving the dock area), and they may be restricted to the port area unless they have a Visa.
    References :

  4. Bung 2 says:
    February 1, 2012 at 6:45 am

    In my time as a British merchant seaman (Engineer Officer) I never experienced any restrictions in going ashore in foreign ports although in some places a little diplomacy was advisable. (In communist China, openly carrying a copy of the ‘Little Red Book’ ashore was quite usual. Everyone in the crew was given one on arrival, so taking it with you was deemed an act of courtesy).
    There were no obvious restrictions in Leningrad, though we were probably being observed.
    In the good old US it was very open. We carried crewmen’s visas issued by the Department of Immigration and suffered no restrictions. The furthest that I got away from the ship was a Sunday round trip of 160 miles to Orange Springs FL from Jacksonville FL.
    Bermuda was the only place where I saw any restrictions. Royal Canadian Navy personnel under the rank of CPO were not allowed shore leave.
    Nowhere were passports obligatory if you entered the country as a crew member. For purposes of identity, a British Seaman’s Discharge Book was accepted as a valid document.
    References :
    Experience

  5. benthic_man says:
    February 1, 2012 at 6:50 am

    It varies country to country.

    The US has the most restrictive shore access policies. Generally port managers won’t allow shore access by charging ‘security’ fees (I’ve paid out up to $1600 per person for guys to go ashore and union reps to come aboard, and I’m on an US-flagged ship). The company doesn’t necessarily have to pay the fees. Foreign sailors, if their employer has sprung for a crew visa and happens to be in dock with shore access, can get ashore, but the process is shameful. It’s very much like being in a floating prison.
    In most other nations, a crew visa is issued, and the crew can go ashore. Some places are restricted because it’s not practical. For the most part, container ships and car carriers don’t spend enough time in port for the crew to get ashore easily.
    References :

  6. ben says:
    February 1, 2012 at 7:18 am

    After 46 years as a merchant mariner under Swedish, British, Dutch, Honduras and Australian flags I have only encountered problems in the Gulf states. Mainly because the authorities were concerned about deserters. And in the USA where the anti communist paranoia prevented some seamen from going ashore
    Other than that they are normally "officially" restricted to the port area, hence the rip roaring waterfront bars and brothels that used to exist. These restrictions are seldom enforced as long as the seaman remains within
    the city.
    As an aside, the traditional limit was " Within hearing of a cannon shot of the ship."
    References :

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