Ship licence · Master · Crew · Shore office
How a ship joins SeaReady
Four steps take a ship from one Master’s phone to the whole crew on a company licence — and the same steps keep it running when people sign off. Here is who does what, where to tap, and what happens at each change: when the trial ends, when crew leave, when the Master changes phone, and when the Master changes.
Updated 7 October 2026 · Written by SeaReady in our own words. Not affiliated with OCIMF, RightShip, CDI, any MoU or any administration — always check the current official documents.
1. The Master adds the ship
Who: Master · Where: Settings → Ship → “I’m the Master”
The Master installs SeaReady on his phone (open seaready.net and add it to the home screen), makes a free account and adds the ship with its IMO number, name and call sign. Whoever adds the ship becomes its Master in SeaReady.
This starts the free 7-day ship trial: AI for everyone aboard on the ship’s phones, the shared ship file, and rest hours and training progress sent to the Master. Each IMO number gets one ship trial, ever, and one person can start at most two ship trials.
2. The crew join with a code
Who: Master, then each crew member · Where: Master: Settings → Ship → Join codes · Crew: Settings → Ship → “I have a join code”
The Master makes a join code (8 letters and numbers) and gives it to the crew. Each crew member makes their own free account and types the code in the “Join a ship” box. A code works only for that ship and runs out after 72 hours (the Master can make a longer one, up to 30 days, or cancel it at any time).
The Master sets each person’s rank. A code made for one rank is for one person; a general code lets up to 10 people join, and the Master sets their ranks afterwards under Rights. The rank decides which checklist chapters a person can change. A ship has 10 seats (phones); more come in packs of 10.
3. The company buys the ship licence
Who: Shore office, then the Master · Where: Office: seaready.net/company and seaready.net/shore · Master: Settings → Ship → Company licence
After payment the office receives an e-mail with a licence key and one ship link code for each ship. The key signs the office in to the shore page at seaready.net/shore. Each link code is valid for 14 days; if it runs out or is lost, the office makes a new one on the shore page (“New link code”).
The Master types the link code once under Settings → Ship → Company licence and taps Link. From then on the ship is on the company licence, AI is on for everyone aboard, and the ship reports its readiness numbers to the office.
4. The Master changes
Who: Outgoing Master — or the office if he has already left · Where: Master: Settings → Ship → People aboard → “Make Master” · Office: seaready.net/shore
Before signing off, the outgoing Master hands over: next to the new Master’s name he taps “Make Master” and confirms. The new Master must already be aboard in SeaReady — if he is not, the outgoing Master first gives him a join code (or a handover code, which makes him Master as he joins).
If the Master left without handing over, the office opens the ship on the shore page and taps “Make Master” next to a person who is aboard. If the Master has already left and the new Master is not aboard yet, the office taps “Code for new Master” and sends that code to the new Master, who types it in the “Join a ship” box (Settings → Ship → “I have a join code”) — he joins and becomes the Master in one step. The code works once and for 7 days. The old Master and SeaReady are e-mailed every time, and every change is logged.
Who sees what
| Sees | |
|---|---|
| Each crew member | All checklist answers; their own rest hours and their own training progress only |
| The Master | Everything the crew see, plus everyone’s rest hours and training progress, the join codes, the phones on the ship and the change history |
| The shore office | Readiness numbers and dates, certificate expiries, rest-hour breach counts, the next inspection, and who is aboard (names and ranks) — never answers, notes, photos or rest-hour records |
Good to know
- One IMO number is one ship in SeaReady, for ever. If the last person aboard leaves, the next Master can set the ship up again — but the IMO does not get a second free trial.
- Every person uses their own free account, with up to two phones. The ship has 10 seats (phones) on its licence; packs of 10 add more.
- Ranks decide who changes which chapters. Only the Master sets ranks; nobody can give themselves a rank with a code.
- Rest hours on a ship licence go only to the Master — see the rest-hour rules for what the Master is checking.
- Payments renew automatically. If one fails, the ship keeps working for 3 days; after that AI pauses until the payment goes through, without anyone re-linking the ship.
Questions seafarers ask
No ship licence? Work together on personal plans
If the company does not buy a ship licence, people on the same ship can still work together. When you set your ship’s IMO number, SeaReady shows how many others use it on that ship — a number only, never who. One person taps “Start working together” (Dashboard or Settings → Ship), the others tap “Ask to join” and are let in by the group (or its Master). The group then chooses a Master: someone proposes him — usually the person whose rank is Master — another person confirms, and he accepts. Handing over later works as on a ship licence.
In a crew group, what is shared?
Nothing until each person switches it on, item by item, in Settings → Ship → “Sharing with my ship” (or taps “Share all”): rest hours with the Master, training progress with the Master, rank-based edit rights (then you change only your own chapters), and the ship file (needs Officer Pro or a trial). The Master sees each item only from the people who share it — everyone else shows as “not sharing”. Names are shown only between people who opted in. You can stop at any time; what you shared is removed from the Master’s view unless you agreed he may keep it. Nobody loses anything their own plan gives them. Free plan users can join and share too. The office (shore) dashboard comes only with a ship licence — if the company buys one later, the group becomes the licensed ship with its Master and shared records, everyone is told, and sharing becomes automatic.
Who becomes the Master in SeaReady?
The person who adds the ship. After that, only a handover changes it: the Master hands over to someone aboard, gives an incoming Master a handover code, or the shore office makes someone Master (“Make Master”, or “Code for new Master” for someone not aboard yet). There is always exactly one Master.
What do the crew see?
Everyone aboard reads the ship’s checklist answers, and changes the chapters their rank owns. Rest hours and training progress are private: each crew member sees only their own, and only the Master sees everyone’s. Crew never see each other’s rest hours.
What does the shore office see?
Numbers and dates only: the readiness score, open critical items, certificate expiry dates, how many rest-hour breach days there were, the next inspection, and the names and ranks of the people aboard. The office never sees checklist answers, notes, photos, rest-hour records or anyone’s personal records.
What happens when the free trial ends?
Everything on each phone keeps working and nobody is taken off the ship. Until the ship is licensed, AI is off, the ship file is no longer shared between phones, and rest hours and training progress stay on each phone instead of going to the Master. On the free plan every question can be read, and the first two in each chapter can be answered. Linking the company licence switches it all back on, with nothing lost.
What happens when a crew member leaves?
They tap “Leave ship” (or the Master removes them). Their seat is freed and the ship file is taken off their phones — they no longer see anything about the ship. They keep the app (free plan) and their own records: their rest hours and training log stay on their phone, and they can still print or save them. The Master keeps a copy of their rest-hour record (a record the ship must keep) and their training progress, read-only and marked “left the ship”; nobody else aboard sees either. Someone the Master removed with “Remove from ship” cannot rejoin until the Master taps “Allow back”.
Someone is going on leave — how do I free their seat?
Under Settings → Ship → Ship devices, tap “Free seat” on their phone. They stay on the crew list and can rejoin by themselves when they are back (“Add this device”), as long as the ship has a free seat — no need to allow them back. Only “Remove from ship” on the crew list keeps a person out until you tap “Allow back”.
What if someone changes phone (crew or Master)?
They just sign in on the new phone with the same account. If the account is already on 2 phones, the sign-in screen asks which one to sign out; they can also sign a phone out any time under Settings → Account → “My phones”. Their place on the ship moves to the new phone by itself — the Master does not need to do anything, no seat is used twice, and the crew list shows “moved to a new phone on” the date. A Master stays the Master, and the crew’s rest records come back to his new phone. If a phone was lost, a phone not used for 30 days is also signed out automatically to make room.
What if a payment is late or fails?
The ship keeps working for 3 more days after the paid date. After that AI switches off until the payment goes through; the ship stays linked to the company, so nothing has to be done again aboard.
Are crew signed out after a long trip?
Only if the app has not been opened online for 90 days. Opening it with a connection at least once every 90 days keeps them signed in. Without a connection the app keeps working on the phone, and they sign in once when they are back online.
What about phones nobody uses any more?
A phone that has not opened SeaReady for 30 days is marked “unused 30+ days” in the Master’s list, so he can free the seat. The owner of that phone can come back later by themselves while a seat is free. A personal phone unused for 30 days is also signed out automatically when its owner signs in on a new one.
Set up your ship
The Master adds the ship under Settings → Ship. Crew join with the Master’s code. Your office licenses the ship from seaready.net/company.
Free toolkit, no card. Works offline at sea once installed.