MLC vs STCW vs SOLAS

The three big maritime conventions every seafarer needs to know — and what each one actually covers. Crew labour, training + certification, and ship safety.

Side-by-side

Criterion	MLC 2006 Maritime Labour Convention — the 'seafarer's bill of rights'	STCW Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping	SOLAS Safety of Life at Sea — the umbrella ship-safety code
Adopted by	ILO (International Labour Organization)	IMO (International Maritime Organization)	IMO
Year first adopted	2006 (in force 2013)	1978 (heavily amended 1995, 2010 Manila, 2024)	1974 (current consolidated text)
Who it protects / regulates	The seafarer (employment + welfare)	The seafarer (competence + certification)	The ship + everyone on board
Headline topics	SEA, wages, hours of work + rest, repatriation, accommodation, food, medical care, financial security, complaints	CoC, CoP, BST, refreshers, watchkeeping, country-of-issue recognition, flag endorsement	Construction, fire, lifesaving, GMDSS, navigation, ISM + ISPS Codes, polar code, IMSBC code, IGC code
Enforced by	Flag state (Reg 5.1) + port state (Reg 5.2)	Flag state (Reg I/4) + port state (MoUs)	Flag state + classification society + port state (MoUs)
Seafarer complaint route	Onboard procedure (A5.1.5) → flag state → port state (A5.2.2)	Through flag-state CoC issuer + port state during PSC	Through ISM Designated Person Ashore + flag state
What goes wrong if it's violated	Unpaid wages, abandonment, denied repatriation, unsafe accommodation, hour-of-rest abuse	Sailing on expired CoC, fake STCW courses, inadequate competence onboard	Lifesaving / firefighting deficiencies, watertight integrity failure, GMDSS failure, PSC detention

Who each suits

MLC 2006
When you have a contract, wages, hours, repatriation, or welfare problem — MLC is the convention that gives you the right to a remedy. Check the rights at /rights and the help guides at /help.
STCW
When you have a question about what certificate to hold, how to revalidate, what a flag endorsement is, or which refresher you need — STCW is the convention that defines the answer. Tools: /tools/stcw-certificate-checker.
SOLAS
When you have a safety question about the ship itself — lifeboats, fire systems, watertight doors, GMDSS, ECDIS, ISM, ISPS — SOLAS (and its subsidiary codes) is the framework.

Pros and cons

MLC 2006

Pros

Comprehensive coverage of labour rights — the most seafarer-protective instrument ever adopted.
Port-state complaint route (A5.2.2) gives seafarers a remedy in any ratifying port.
Financial-security amendments (2014) make abandonment compensation enforceable.

Cons

Enforcement varies wildly by flag state.
Onboard complaint procedure (A5.1.5) only works where the master is engaged.
Some flags ratified the convention but don't actively enforce it.

STCW

Pros

Sets a true global baseline — your CoC is recognisable everywhere the convention is in force.
Refresher cycles (2010 Manila Amendments) catch up with technology + fatigue research.
White List makes fake courses easier to detect.

Cons

Flag-state interpretation of recognition rules varies.
Refresher costs fall on the seafarer in practice on many fleets.
Fake course providers persist, especially in unregulated training markets.

SOLAS

Pros

Most comprehensive ship-safety regime in the world.
Backed by classification societies + port-state inspections.
Continually updated — Polar Code, IMSBC, IGF, cyber-risk amendments.

Cons

Compliance burden falls disproportionately on smaller operators.
Some subsidiary codes (IMSBC Group A) need stronger enforcement than they get.

Common misunderstandings

'STCW is about safety drills.' STCW is about training + certification. The drills themselves are SOLAS (Chapter III + ISM Code).
'MLC covers safety.' MLC covers labour, welfare, and accommodation safety. Construction + lifesaving + firefighting safety is SOLAS.
'If MLC is enforced, SOLAS doesn't matter.' Both apply simultaneously. SOLAS enforcement (PSC) and MLC enforcement (PSC + flag) are parallel tracks.
'My CoC is an MLC document.' Wrong — your CoC is an STCW document. Your SEA is an MLC document.

FAQ

If only one of the three applied to me, which would be most useful?: Depends on the problem. For a wage / contract / repatriation dispute → MLC. For a certificate / refresher question → STCW. For a ship-safety question → SOLAS. In practice all three apply on every commercial vessel and you'll touch all three across a contract.
Which one gives me the right to refuse to sail?: Multiple. SOLAS (Reg V/34) + ISM (Element 5) give the Master ultimate authority on safety. MLC A5.1.5 covers onboard complaints including refusal to work in unsafe conditions. STCW VIII includes fitness-for-duty (rest hours) as a sailing prerequisite. The strongest combination is to invoke MLC + ISM together for a wage + safety issue.

Primary sources

High confidence

Last verified 14 days ago

Side-by-side

Criterion	MLC 2006 Maritime Labour Convention — the 'seafarer's bill of rights'	STCW Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping	SOLAS Safety of Life at Sea — the umbrella ship-safety code
Adopted by	ILO (International Labour Organization)	IMO (International Maritime Organization)	IMO
Year first adopted	2006 (in force 2013)	1978 (heavily amended 1995, 2010 Manila, 2024)	1974 (current consolidated text)
Who it protects / regulates	The seafarer (employment + welfare)	The seafarer (competence + certification)	The ship + everyone on board
Headline topics	SEA, wages, hours of work + rest, repatriation, accommodation, food, medical care, financial security, complaints	CoC, CoP, BST, refreshers, watchkeeping, country-of-issue recognition, flag endorsement	Construction, fire, lifesaving, GMDSS, navigation, ISM + ISPS Codes, polar code, IMSBC code, IGC code
Enforced by	Flag state (Reg 5.1) + port state (Reg 5.2)	Flag state (Reg I/4) + port state (MoUs)	Flag state + classification society + port state (MoUs)
Seafarer complaint route	Onboard procedure (A5.1.5) → flag state → port state (A5.2.2)	Through flag-state CoC issuer + port state during PSC	Through ISM Designated Person Ashore + flag state
What goes wrong if it's violated	Unpaid wages, abandonment, denied repatriation, unsafe accommodation, hour-of-rest abuse	Sailing on expired CoC, fake STCW courses, inadequate competence onboard	Lifesaving / firefighting deficiencies, watertight integrity failure, GMDSS failure, PSC detention

Who each suits

MLC 2006

When you have a contract, wages, hours, repatriation, or welfare problem — MLC is the convention that gives you the right to a remedy. Check the rights at /rights and the help guides at /help.

STCW

When you have a question about what certificate to hold, how to revalidate, what a flag endorsement is, or which refresher you need — STCW is the convention that defines the answer. Tools: /tools/stcw-certificate-checker.

SOLAS

When you have a safety question about the ship itself — lifeboats, fire systems, watertight doors, GMDSS, ECDIS, ISM, ISPS — SOLAS (and its subsidiary codes) is the framework.

Pros and cons

MLC 2006

Pros

Comprehensive coverage of labour rights — the most seafarer-protective instrument ever adopted.
Port-state complaint route (A5.2.2) gives seafarers a remedy in any ratifying port.
Financial-security amendments (2014) make abandonment compensation enforceable.

Cons

Enforcement varies wildly by flag state.
Onboard complaint procedure (A5.1.5) only works where the master is engaged.
Some flags ratified the convention but don't actively enforce it.

STCW

Pros

Sets a true global baseline — your CoC is recognisable everywhere the convention is in force.
Refresher cycles (2010 Manila Amendments) catch up with technology + fatigue research.
White List makes fake courses easier to detect.

Cons

Flag-state interpretation of recognition rules varies.
Refresher costs fall on the seafarer in practice on many fleets.
Fake course providers persist, especially in unregulated training markets.

SOLAS

Pros

Most comprehensive ship-safety regime in the world.
Backed by classification societies + port-state inspections.
Continually updated — Polar Code, IMSBC, IGF, cyber-risk amendments.

Cons

Compliance burden falls disproportionately on smaller operators.
Some subsidiary codes (IMSBC Group A) need stronger enforcement than they get.

Common misunderstandings

'STCW is about safety drills.' STCW is about training + certification. The drills themselves are SOLAS (Chapter III + ISM Code).

'MLC covers safety.' MLC covers labour, welfare, and accommodation safety. Construction + lifesaving + firefighting safety is SOLAS.

'If MLC is enforced, SOLAS doesn't matter.' Both apply simultaneously. SOLAS enforcement (PSC) and MLC enforcement (PSC + flag) are parallel tracks.

'My CoC is an MLC document.' Wrong — your CoC is an STCW document. Your SEA is an MLC document.

FAQ

If only one of the three applied to me, which would be most useful?

Depends on the problem. For a wage / contract / repatriation dispute → MLC. For a certificate / refresher question → STCW. For a ship-safety question → SOLAS. In practice all three apply on every commercial vessel and you'll touch all three across a contract.

Which one gives me the right to refuse to sail?

Multiple. SOLAS (Reg V/34) + ISM (Element 5) give the Master ultimate authority on safety. MLC A5.1.5 covers onboard complaints including refusal to work in unsafe conditions. STCW VIII includes fitness-for-duty (rest hours) as a sailing prerequisite. The strongest combination is to invoke MLC + ISM together for a wage + safety issue.

High confidence

Last verified 14 days ago

MLC vs STCW vs SOLAS

Side-by-side

Who each suits

Pros and cons

Common misunderstandings

FAQ

Related

Primary sources

MLC vs STCW vs SOLAS

Side-by-side

Who each suits

Pros and cons

Common misunderstandings

FAQ

Related

Primary sources