My contract was changed

If the contract you signed before flying is different from the one presented at the gangway, in port, or onboard — refuse to sign the new one. 'Contract substitution' is a known abuse pattern. Under MLC Standard A2.1 you have the right to a SEA you can read and to a copy of it. Substituting a less-favourable contract after arrival is the textbook indicator of a forced-labour or trafficking pattern under the ILO Forced Labour Convention.

Step-by-step

1. Refuse to sign the new contract on the spot. Politely say you need to review it against the contract you were sent before flying.
2. Take dated photos of both versions side by side, with the recruiter / owner / agent visible if possible.
3. Demand that the agent or owner explain the differences in writing — wages, contract length, vessel name, leave entitlement, repatriation, CBA reference.
4. If you have already signed, write 'signed under protest as to amended terms not previously agreed' next to your signature and keep a photo.
5. Call ISWAN SeafarerHelp on +44 800 012 1004 and the ITF inspector at the port — both can intervene before you board.
6. Where the substitution is structural (a different principal shipowner, a different vessel, a wholly different wage), treat as a recruitment scam — see /scams/fake-job-offer-checklist and /tools/manning-agency-scam-checker.
7. If you are already onboard, raise it via the onboard complaints procedure (MLC A5.1.5) and via the flag-state complaints channel (MLC A5.1.5 + 5.2.2).

Evidence to save

• Both versions of the contract — original and amended — side by side with timestamps.
• Every message that accompanied the change.
• Names of the agent, recruiter, owner representative, and witness.
• Original signed copy of the pre-travel SEA.
• Original allotment form + bank details from the pre-travel package.
• Any 'side letter' or addendum you have been asked to sign.

What NOT to sign

• A contract that names a different principal shipowner than the pre-travel SEA.
• A contract with materially different wages, contract length, or repatriation terms.
• A 'mutual cancellation' of the pre-travel SEA without independent advice.
• A blank signature page or pre-printed dated form.

Legal basis

MLC 2006 Standard A2.1 (Seafarers' employment agreements — terms, copy to the seafarer, advance opportunity to examine and seek advice). ILO Convention 29 (Forced Labour) + Palermo Protocol — passport / document confiscation + contract substitution are recognised trafficking indicators. ILO Convention 181 (Private Employment Agencies).

Primary sources

• MLC 2006 Regulation 2.1 + Standard A2.1 — Seafarers' employment agreements
• ILO Convention 29 (Forced Labour)
• ITF — Get Help (contract problems)
• Rights pillar: SEA

Organisations that can help

Disclaimer. General information only — not legal advice. If the substitution is structural (different ship, different principal, materially lower wages), treat as a possible trafficking / forced-labour indicator and contact ISWAN before signing.