Cases of crew lost luggage have been increased worldwide. Lost luggage can be a real problem, whether you’re travelling to your ship or heading home.

We thought now would be a good time to remind you of the procedure to follow if your luggage is lost and give you some handy travel tips.

Firstly, always store important documents in your hand carry and not your checked-in luggage. These include:

1. All work and travel documents and money

2. All essentials and devices

3. Any medication you may need

If your luggage does go missing then ALWAYS complete the lost luggage claim at the airport. Without it the company will not be able to trace your luggage and send it on to the ship. Please also avoid carrying cash or important documents in your luggage as these can be stolen.

Even without your luggage you MUST still join your vessel. Your luggage will be located and sent to the next convenient port. It’s useful to travel with a couple of changes of clothes and some small toiletries just in case your checked luggage goes astray.

When checking in for your flight please always reconfirm that your luggage is checked all the way to your final destination and make sure you keep hold of your luggage tag until you retrieve your luggage.

If you’re travelling with colleagues and several items of luggage go missing, please always fill in a claim form for each seafarer individually. Never do a collective claim as this will make the investigation and delivery process longer and more difficult.

In addition to submitting a claim at the airport, we highly recommended you make a claim online on the respective airline’s website where you can give an additional description of the luggage, including colour, dimensions, contents etc.

Be aware that the airline’s responsibility for your luggage ends once the item is collected, whether that be by an agent, driver, or representative, and they will not assist further. So if your luggage is delivered to your destination after your vessel has left from the port/country, then please do not contact the airline. In such cases delivery to another port/country may require additional costs, custom clearance, personal presence etc, subject to new destination regulations. Please contact your Danica representative for help on what to do to be reunited with your luggage.