New rules come into force today (Mon) aimed at improving the rights of seafarers and conditions on board ships.
They include tightening up the rules on the repatriation of crew members from abandoned vessels and extra responsibilities for shipowners to ensure on board internet where practicable.
The measures are included in amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), known as the seafarers’ “bill of rights”, which first came into force in 2013.
It is intended to provide crew members with decent work and to ensure a level playing field for quality shipowners that compete against substandard ships among the many thousands of merchant vessels trading internationally.
The convention has been signed by 108 countries, which represent more than 90% of global tonnage.
Non-signatories include the United States, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
But researchers say that there remain significant gaps in enforcing its rules with major problems with unpaid wages and repatriation.
The changes are aimed at putting further pressure on owners, operators, ports and states to ensure decent living and working conditions for crew members.
The new provisions include rules on providing good quality drinking water free of charge and balanced meals, according to a briefing by protection and indemnity club West.
It includes demands for properly-sized personal protective equipment, partly in response to the increase in number of women seafarers who have been forced to wear kit designed only for men.
Seafarers also must be told by private recruiters of their rights to be compensated for potential financial losses during their employment.
Seafarers’ Rights International, a London-based body researching maritime and seafarers’ law, said in a study published this year that the convention had been only 65% effective.
The group said that the convention was described as an “extraordinary accomplishment” when it was first agreed in 2006 but needed to be kept up-to-date to address new challenges including autonomous ships and climate change.
Executive director Deirdre Fitzpatrick said: “These findings challenge any complacency about the MLC working efficiently and uniformly around the world.”
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