A seafarer is the modern legal term used in maritime law to describe anyone working on a vessel, while seaman is an older traditional term often used informally. Both terms refer to people who work at sea, including professional yacht crew.
What does the term seafarer mean?
In legal and regulatory contexts, seafarer refers to any person employed or engaged to work on a ship, regardless of their role.
What does seaman mean?
Historically, seaman referred specifically to experienced deck crew, though the term is sometimes used casually to describe anyone working at sea.
Which term is used in official documents?
Modern maritime conventions such as STCW and the MLC use the term seafarer.