🔍 Key Concepts

• Definition of marine employer in 46 CFR Part 4 (Marine Casualties and Investigations) • Who can be responsible for persons employed or engaged aboard a vessel • Difference between a natural person (like the Master) and an entity (like an owner or agent) in regulatory definitions

💭 Think About

• Look at how the regulations define who is responsible for the crew and operations of the vessel—does it limit this responsibility to only one role or can it include several? • Consider whether the Master is always the employer in the legal sense, or whether another party may be the one who actually hires and pays the crew. • Ask yourself: when the Coast Guard investigates a marine casualty, who can they hold responsible as the party employing or engaging the individuals on board?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify the exact wording of “marine employer” in 46 CFR Part 4 – pay attention to whether it says includes or means only. • Check if the definition lists specific roles such as owner, agent, charterer, Master, or managing operator, and whether it treats them as alternatives or a single required role. • Make sure you distinguish between the Master’s authority on board and the legal status of who employs/engages the crew.