Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’): A seafarer must: be trained or certified as competent or otherwise qualified to perform his duties; and have successfully completed training for ...
Requirement to be trained and certified
Requirement to be medically fit
Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’): A seafarer cannot work on a ship unless he holds a valid medical certificate stating that he is medically fit to perform the duties he is to carry ...
Requirement to be of minimum age
Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’): A person must be 16 years old or above to work as a seafarer. A seafarer who is between 16 and 18 years of age can work on a ship but cannot ...
Fundamental rights
Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’), a seafarer has the fundamental right to: associate and to bargain collectively. This is the right to join a trade union of choice and to bargain ...
How is the MLC enforced?
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’) is enforced in a number of ways: Flag states must have a system for inspection and certification of maritime labour conditions ensuring that working and ...
When does the MLC apply?
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’) applies to seafarers working on a ship of a country that has ratified the MLC. The MLC entered into force on 20 August 2013 in the following 30 ...
What is the MLC?
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (‘MLC’) is an international agreement of the International Labour Organisation (‘ILO’) which sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work. It is ...
FLAG STATE RESPONSIBILITIES AND SEAFARERS’ RIGHTS
History and role of the Flag State The flag of a ship has, from earliest days, provided an indication of that vessel’s nationality – the country under which it derived its legal status and whose laws ...
Seafarers and the Criminal Law
It is an inherent risk in the working lives of seafarers that they may be subjected to criminal charges either of a professional or a non-professional nature. Seafaring is transnational by nature. As ...
Abandonment of Seafarers
The problem of abandonment The problem of abandoned seafarers is a stark one of human hardship. The International Labour Organization (ILO) keeps a database of cases of abandonment and, given the ...