The Maritime Labour Convention
In 2012 it is expected that the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) will be ratified and it will come into force twelve months after the ratification date.
This will have a profound effect on all commercial shipping, including commercial superyachts.It is possible that some vessels of less than 200 gross tons may not have to comply with all the MLC requirements, but this will be down to the discretion of individual Flag States.
Overview
The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention 2006 consolidates and updates over 65 international labour standards related to seafarers adopted over the last eighty years, in order to secure the right of all seafarers to decent employment. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the "fourth pillar" of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, along with three other key maritime Conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) namely safety at sea (SOLAS), training, certification and watchkeeping standards (STCW) and on environmental protection (MARPOL).
It has two primary purposes:
- To bring the system of protection contained in existing labour standards closer to the workers concerned, in a form consistent with the rapidly developing globalised sector
- To improve the applicability of the system, so that shipowners (including superyacht owners) and governments interested in providing decent conditions of work do not have to bear an unequal burden in ensuring protection
The Convention was adopted in February 2006. The Convention will come into force once either 30 MLC members or members representing at least 33% of the world’s gross tonnage ratify it.
The new Convention is intended to achieve increased compliance by operators and owners of ships and to strengthen enforcement of standards through mechanisms which operate at all levels.
For example, it contains provisions for:
- Crew accommodation
- Complaint procedures available to seafarers
- Shipowners’ and shipmasters’ supervision of conditions on their ships
- Flag States’ jurisdiction and control over their ships
- Port State inspections of foreign ships
- By requiring ratifying Members not only to implement the Convention in the national laws but also to document their implementation, the Convention should also enhance the effectiveness of the supervision carried out at the international level, especially by the competent bodies of the ILO
Our Experience and Service
Döhle Yachts Compliance and Technical Support department has considerable experience regarding the implementation, compliance and crew issues of the MLC.
For our clients we will conduct pre MLC inspections as part of our regular ISM and ISPS audits.
A Guide to The Maritime Labour Convention
To assist you in understanding the ramifications of the MLC we have produced a brief guide outlining the main areas which will affect superyachts and a summary of the full MLC Regulations. This is available in PDF and EBook page-turner formats.
PDF Version
Download the PDF version (1.3mb PDF)
Ebook Format
Page-turning Ebook Format (Click on the pages to turn)