According to the Admiralty and Maritime Laws of the United States, the Judges are to go to whatever links are necessary to make sure that Seaman are properly protected by the Courts. The United States Congress has made this easy for the Courts and Judges to do. If a crew member is not paid his wages after being discharged from a vessel, he is entitled to two day’s pay for each day that the ship is late in paying his wages. In addition, the crew member can have the vessel arrested until the vessel owners either post a bond or pay the crew member’s wages. Typically crew members are also entitled to reimbursement of their attorneys’ fees for the vessel’s nonpayment of crew wages.  For example, if a crew member is making $200 per day and is discharged from a vessel without the vessel operator paying the crew member his last $2,000 in wages, the crew member need only ask for his wages, then from that day forward the crew member is entitled to $400 per day until the wages are paid in full. Under this scenario, if the vessel is two weeks in making payment to the crew member, crew member would be entitled to his thousand dollars in wages plus $400 per day times 14 days which equals $5,600 in penalty wages, plus his $2,000 in base wages,  plus attorneys’ fees.  If that same seaman was not paid for a month, his penalty wages would total $12,000 ($400 per day x 30 days).  Few lawyers in the state of Florida know how to handle a crew wage claim. Give us a call for free consultation if you are a crew member that has not been paid your full wages.