Editor’s note: Crew worldwide are mourning the death of a stew in what local police in the Bahamas are calling a murder and attempted suicide. And alongside grief, crew and others in the industry are calling for change.
According to local media reports, a woman was found dead in the engine room of a vessel off Harbour Island on July 3. A man with serious injuries to his arms was cautioned, then taken for medical care. A GoFundMe has been set up by friends and former co-workers for the family of the woman, named on social media as South African national Paige Bell.
The tragedy has also ignited demands for change — including renewed interest in a Change.org petition that went online several years ago but surged to 4,000 signatures in the days immediately following Paige's death.
The petition, headlined “Make Criminal Background Checks a legal requirement to apply to seafarers internationally,” was created by Jessie Frost, director of recruitment and placement agency Crewfolio. Here, Jessie explains why she feels the industry must change.
I originally launched the petition over two years ago, shortly after stepping off yachts myself following a decade on board. It was only when I moved into crew recruitment that I began to see the industry from a broader perspective — and frankly, the lack of safeguarding shocked me.
Through my role, I’m lucky to maintain strong, trusting relationships with the crew we represent. That connection has led many to open up about the challenges they’ve faced, particularly on vessels where accountability is often lacking. Sadly, themes of bullying, harassment, sexual and physical violence, theft and even murder surface year after year — often quietly accepted, normalized, or brushed aside. There are repeat offenders in our industry who are known and named, yet they continue to find work — because there’s always someone unaware of their past who unknowingly gives them another opportunity.
I hate that it has taken something as horrific as Paige Bell’s death to bring this back into the spotlight, but I also believe we owe it to her — and many others — to finally force this conversation into the regulatory space.
This issue is personal for many of us. I’ve worked alongside individuals who, only later, were revealed to have serious criminal backgrounds. I’ve also been directly harmed by these people — and I’m far from alone. Crew continue to be placed in high-risk environments without even the most basic criminal background screening. There is currently no global standard or MLC requirement for these checks — and that has to change.
To be clear, I’m not proposing the impossible. There’s no single world criminal database — but you can conduct global background checks across multiple jurisdictions and watchlists as long as someone’s ID and address history are known. This is already standard practice in industries like aviation, finance, childcare, and commercial shipping. The systems exist. The providers exist. It’s legal, it’s verifiable, and it’s affordable — usually costing less than $60 USD per certificate.
In fact, many commercial shipping companies already do this voluntarily through internal policies or crewing agencies. It’s not mandated under the MLC, but it’s happening — especially where safety, scale, and liability demand it. If commercial shipping can do it, so can yachting.
What I’m pushing for is simple: A renewable background check certificate, valid for two years, issued by recognized global providers (Checkr, First Advantage, etc), and treated with the same importance as ENG1 or STCW. Let’s raise the bar — not just for the sake of liability, but for the safety and dignity of everyone working on board.
To those who question the practicality — I hear you. But the “what, how and when” isn’t for crew or captains to decide alone. That’s where the flag states, the MCA, the ILO and other bodies come in. We need signatures to show this is a collective priority. We need volume. Once we cross 10,000, we have the numbers to begin formal lobbying efforts with flag states and international bodies.
And to those questioning whether this is necessary, I’d ask: why wouldn’t we want to do everything in our power to prevent harm on board? If this even stops one assault, one theft or one tragedy, isn’t it worth it? If you’re questioning the need for background checks in an industry where assault, harassment and even murder have occurred, then I’d respectfully ask: what exactly are you defending? This shouldn’t be controversial. It’s a basic safeguarding measure — one that many other industries implemented long ago. The real question is: why hasn’t yachting?
This is not a personal vendetta or emotional campaign. This is a practical, achievable step toward protecting crew at the most basic level. We already require ENG1 medicals and STCW certifications to prove that a crew member is fit and safe to work on board. A two-year renewable criminal background check certificate is no different — and no less necessary.
Our job right now is to show that this matters.
That’s why this petition is so important. We need at least 10,000 signatures to bring this to the attention of maritime regulators. The more industry professionals — crew, employers, captains, recruiters — who stand behind this, the more likely we are to get real policy reform at the international level.