Landmark updates to ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) were agreed between governments, shipowners and unions, after an intense week of negotiations at the International Labour Organization headquarters in Geneva, reaffirming the support for seafarers.
The MLC updates, set to enter into effect in December 2027, aim to improve the conditions for seafarers on board ships.
Among the suite of amendments agreed to improve the working and living conditions of seafarers on board ships were provisions for seafarers to be designated as key workers, strengthened requirements to support seafarer repatriation, new mandatory measures to ensure that they have access to shore leave without needing a visa or special permit, and enhanced protections against bullying and harassment.
Meanwhile, recognising that seafarers are among most isolated people on earth when it comes to medical care, ILO approved new MLC provisions recommending carriage of ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers on board ships.
Specifically, during last week’s session was agreed the inclusion of a new provision into the MLC, recommending the carriage of the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers on board ships, complementing an existing requirement for all ships to carry a medical guide on board.
Tim Springett, chair of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Labour Affairs Committee and spokesperson for the Shipowners’ Group at the ILO meeting, said: “I’ve been incredibly proud to represent Shipowners at the ILO this year for the Fifth Meeting of the STC, to review and amend the MLC.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have the support of such a strong team, and together we have been able to deliver some significant improvements to seafarers’ rights in collaboration with our government and social partners. The accomplishments of STC prove that – whatever the issue facing our industry – when we come together, we can work it out.”
The ILO maritime tripartite regulatory structure brings together national governments, alongside a global shipowner’s group co-ordinated by ICS and a global seafarer’s group co-ordinated by ITF.
The meeting also agreed a package of complementary resolutions, one of which established a framework for a future joint meeting between the ILO tripartite partners and Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to review and potentially align overlapping seafarer hours of work and rest provisions, within the remit of conventions overseen by both organisations.
