Seafarers and fishermen
As regards seafarers and fishermen, the term of notice is in general 7 days unless otherwise agreed in the employment contract or by collective agreement. A shorter notice of termination cannot be agreed for seafarers or fishermen than for the shipowner.
If the seafarer or fisherman is domiciled in Denmark and engaged in Denmark (i.e. has travelled to the ship on the shipowner’s account), notice can be given only for termination in a Danish port which the ship calls at. However, it can be agreed that it is possible to give notice for termination in a foreign port. This will typically be the case when the shipowner gives company employed seafarers notice for termination in Denmark.
If the seafarer or fisherman has not been engaged in Denmark or is not domiciled in Denmark, notice may be given for termination in any port the ship calls at. However, it is a precondition that the call is not made for the purpose of bunkering, disembarking sick or injured persons or for any other safety-related reason and that the country of call is willing to receive the seafarer or fisherman.
As regards seafarers or fishermen domiciled either on the Faroe Islands or in Greenland, notice can be given for termination only in ports on the Faroe Islands or in Greenland, unless otherwise agreed.
Ship officers and masters
In general, the notice of termination for ship officers and masters, including skippers of fishing vessels, is three months if the person concerned has been hired on an indeterminate contract. A shorter notice of termination can be agreed. However, the shipowner’s notice of termination cannot be shorter than one month during the first year of employment.
If the person concerned has been hired on a determinate contract, the notice of termination will typically be shorter and, in general, either one month or seven days. As is the case with seafarers and fishermen, the shipowner’s notice of termination cannot be shorter than that of the ship officer or master.
The shipowner is entitled to dismiss masters and ship officers who, due to sickness or bodily injury, are incapable of performing their duties.