Most collective agreements contain a provision that payment of compensation for the death of a seafarer is made to the beneficiary appointed by the seafarer before leaving for the voyage. This is done by the seafarer indicating the name of the “next of kin” in the Employment Contract or in the Application Form. As a rule, the correct filling of the “next of kin” column avoids disputes between the relatives of the deceased sailor about who is entitled to compensation for his death. The amount of compensation is provided for by the Employment Contract and the Collective Agreement, and therefore the amount of payments for each specific case may differ. The amounts of compensation in connection with the death of a seafarer in the recommended pro forma Collective Agreements of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) are about 108,000 US dollars to the beneficiary and about 21,000 US dollars for each child under 18 years old (maximum four). However, not all vessels are covered by the ITF collective agreement, and therefore in our practice we have repeatedly met contracts that provide for much smaller amounts (20,000 - 40,000 US dollars).