Cash Money, er, CrewCash and ShipMoney

Does this fill a void for you guys? What’s the difference between just a regular visa cc or debit card? Do people with jobs really not have bank accounts?

Globe Wireless Announces CrewCash and ShipMoney

Palm Bay, Florida, USA (5th Sep. 2012): Globe Wireless announced today an exclusive worldwide sales and marketing relationship with CrewCash, LLC (CrewCash), a payments company offering comprehensive prepaid solutions to the commercial maritime industry.

CrewCash and ShipMoney is a new prepaid Visa® card program for captains and crew members. The program provides a very efficient and cost effective alternative to the delivery of currency to ships. It is based on reducing the number of cash deliveries and the amount of cash held onboard, thereby significantly reducing costs.

Historically, maritime companies are faced with an expensive logistical problem of delivering cash to their vessels. Cash is always required onboard and is used for crew advances as well as provisions and emergency expenses by captains. Companies generally limit the amount of cash that can be drawn onboard by their crew due to the high cost of delivering currency to vessels throughout the world. It is estimated to cost five percent or more to deliver currency to vessels.

CrewCash and ShipMoney is being introduced to the commercial maritime industry as a cost saving alternative to cash-to-master programs and a new benefit to crew members.

CrewCash offers an alternative to onboard cash advances and works like any other Visa debit card anywhere in the world. With CrewCash, crew members can receive their pay, send money to family or friends, withdraw local currency at ATM’s, make purchases using their card at stores, restaurants or online and much more.

CrewCash will make it easier for crew to receive their wages, is less expensive to convert to their home currency and is safer than carrying cash. CrewCash cardholders do not need a bank account and there is no credit check.

ShipMoney is a prepaid Visa purchasing card for captains. It provides them with a financial tool for provisions, emergency and other ship expenses. ShipMoney can be loaded and unloaded with funds any time of day, any day of the year, offering maximum flexibility to the onboard treasury function at the lowest possible cost.

ShipMoney is fully customizable and can be configured to include or exclude ATM access, as well as restricting merchants by merchant category codes. For example, ShipMoney cards can be restricted for use at casinos, massage parlors and other places captains should not be spending company funds. The Program includes real-time and downloadable expense reporting so corporate accounting will always be informed and in control.

“As a leading provider of communications, operational and IT solutions to the maritime industry, Globe Wireless is perfectly positioned to introduce CrewCash and ShipMoney” stated David Kagan, President of Globe Wireless. “We are very excited to introduce a new benefit to crew members while saving commercial maritime companies money.”

In addition to reducing costs, CrewCash will offer maritime companies a compliant solution to crew remittances once the Maritime Labor Convention is ratified. The International Labor Organization (a UN Agency) drafted the Maritime Labor Convention in 2006 to standardize and update international maritime law. Title 2, Regulation 2.2 of the states:

Each Member shall require that ship owners take measures…”to provide seafarers with a means to transmit all or part of their earnings to their families or dependents or legal beneficiaries……and….… a system for enabling seafarers, at the time of their entering employment or during it to allot…a proportion of their wages for remittance…”

About CrewCash, LLC

CrewCash, LLC is subsidiary of Global Technology Partners (GTP). GTP is one of the largest international core processors of prepaid cards, providing services to numerous financial institutions. GTP is certified by VISA CEMEA and offers EMV, multi-currency cards with a comprehensive mobile payments capability. The GTP system is a database driven and rules based platform that provides cardholders access to Visa’s worldwide network of automated teller machines (ATM’s), point-of-sale (POS) devices and internet based merchants. Visit www.gtplimited.com

About Globe Wireless

Globe Wireless is the world’s leading provider of total solutions in the field of communications, operational and IT solutions to the maritime industry. Globe serves over 550 ship operators with over 8,000 ships using their products and services. For over 20 years Globe Wireless has been providing reliable voice and data communications to the maritime industry. Globe fuses their satellite and IT skills with a deep rooted knowledge of the maritime industry to provide the service, applications and support you need. Globe designs, builds, sells, installs, support and services all of their products and solutions that they offer. Globe Wireless provides excellence in every aspect of their solutions. Globe ensures satisfaction at every stage of their service, from pre-sales coordination, through professional worldwide “Touch-the-Ship” installation and service, comprehensive training, simplified invoicing and direct 24 x 7 customer support. Globe has offices in 13 countries around the world providing technical support in local time zones and languages.
www.globewireless.com.

I dont see a need for this. Most guys nowadays take the direct deposit. Some still insist on cash. I asked and oiler once why he always takes cash payoff and he said way back when, he worked for an outfit who cut him a check and by the time he got off and went to the bank the company was bankrupt and the check was no good. I think the people that take the cash payoff do so because they dont trust the company or the banks and I dont think they will trust this either

HaHa, yea I worked for a company once where on Friday afternoons we raced each other to the bank. First handful that got there got their checks cashed. I also got paid off by a company that was closing it’s doors. Put the money in the bank, the check cleared, and then it didn’t after of course I spent most of the money. That being said, if and when I GET a job, DD is fine with me.

The primary market for this CrewCash debit card product is outside the US.

U.S. mariners on short voyages in the coastwise trade (this is the vast majority of us) are not legally entitled to either cash draws or allotments. Before ATMs (and before mariners were forbidden to go ashore) many domestic companies did make provisions for limited cash draws in US ports.

As far as I know, U.S. mariners on foreign voyages are still entitled to both periodic allotments (sent by the company to family at home (these days by direct deposit)) and large cash draws in every foreign port.

I imagine that a great many third world seamen may not have bank accounts or ATMs that can be used for foreign currency in foreign ports.

I don’t see how the ShipMoney product is much different than any other corporate debit card or prepaid credit card.

I worked with an engineer that took 1/4 of his salary in cash each week. One week he was busy in the engine room making an emergency repair and missed the draw so the Captain had the company cut a check for the full amount and send it to his house. The engineer was pissed (to say the least) and began yelling at the captain:

“YOU DID WHAT? Sent the entire check to my wife! WTF!! Do you think I really need another gucci F’n handbag or $500 high heel shoes!? GIVE ME MY F’n MONEY IN CASH!!”

It was too late to get the check back but, once he calmed down he got the captain to write his wife a letter that went something like this:


Dear Mrs. X

We are sending this note to let you know of the indubitably meticulous and laudable work your husband is effectuating. In a gesture of congratulatory consideration for his momentous and consequential efforts we are issuing him a bonus of 1/4 salary that will be added direct to his pay check.

This is a one time award. He won’t ever get it again.

Signed,
Captain M

Why that wording in the letter? The engineer made it clear that his wife wasn’t too smart and instructed the captain to: “Come up with an excuse for the extra pay that includes a lot of big words in the first part to throw her off then, IN VERY SIMPLE TERMS, tell her it ain’t never going to happen again. Then sign your name so I have proof!”

The differance between a CC and a DC is that a debit card requires one to have a checking account. The card is tied to it.