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Wages claim toolkit

This page bundles the practical documents and sequenced steps a seafarer needs to recover unpaid wages — from an on-board complaint through to vessel arrest. It is grounded in MLC 2006 Regulation 2.2 (payment of wages) and Standard A2.5.2 (financial security for wage claims and repatriation), which together require the shipowner's insurer to pay outstanding wages directly to seafarers when the owner fails to do so. Work through the sections in order: gather evidence first, then escalate formally, then move to legal remedies if the owner does not pay within 14 days.

Evidence checklist

Gather and secure copies of every item below before you leave the vessel — once ashore your access to ship's records ends.

Step-by-step escalation

  1. On-board complaint (MLC Standard A5.1.5) — raise the unpaid-wage issue in writing with the Master, requesting it be logged in the ship's complaint register. MLC Regulation 5.1.5 requires shipowners to maintain an on-board complaint procedure. Keep a copy of your complaint. If the Master is unresponsive or is part of the problem, proceed directly to step 2.
  2. Written demand to the shore office — send the Letter of Demand by email (with read receipt) and by recorded post to the registered owner and the manning agent simultaneously. The letter sets a 14-day deadline and formally notifies them that the MLC financial-security insurer and vessel-arrest remedies will be invoked if payment is not made.
  3. Contact the ITF inspector at the next port — the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has inspectors at most major ports worldwide. Find the nearest via itfseafarers.org or call the ITF 24-hour helpline. Provide the ship's IMO number, your SEA, and the wage accounts. The ITF inspector can board the vessel, inspect records, and negotiate directly with the owner or P&I Club on your behalf — this is often the fastest resolution path.
  4. Email the MLC financial-security insurer directly — use the contact details from the DMLC Part II (photographed in your evidence checklist). Under MLC Standard A2.5.2 paragraph 6, the insurer is directly and jointly liable to pay outstanding wages (up to four months) and repatriation costs. Email them with your Letter of Demand attached. If the insurer's details are not on the DMLC, look them up via equasis.org using the IMO number.
  5. File with the flag-state MLC complaint procedure — contact the maritime authority of the vessel's flag state. They are responsible under MLC Regulation 5.1.5 for receiving and investigating wage complaints on flag-state vessels. They can compel the owner, inspect the financial-security certificate, and in serious cases detain the vessel or revoke the flag.
  6. Register on the IMO/ILO Joint Database — request the flag state or ITF to submit the case to the IMO/ILO Joint Database of Abandoned Seafarers (ilo.org/dyn/seafarers). Entry creates an international record, increases pressure on the owner and insurer to resolve, and supports subsequent legal action.
  7. Notice of Intent to Arrest the vessel — seafarers' wages are a preferred maritime lien under ILO Convention 173 and the 1993 Geneva Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages. This lien travels with the ship regardless of ownership change and takes priority over most secured creditors. In an admiralty court at any ITF-MoU port where the vessel calls, you (or the ITF on your behalf) can apply for an arrest warrant. Engage an admiralty lawyer or the ITF legal team — some act on a conditional-fee basis for crew wage claims.
  8. National labour court — if you have signed off and the claim survives, bring proceedings in your home jurisdiction or the jurisdiction of the manning agency. In the Philippines, NLRC and POEA/DMW have expedited procedures for OFW wage claims. In India, DG Shipping can refer to the Labour Court. Wages as preferred maritime liens can be enforced across jurisdictions.

Linked documents

Evidence log — download

Use this spreadsheet to record events as they happen — dates, amounts, people present, and evidence references. Print it or open it in any spreadsheet application. A completed, signed log is admissible evidence in most jurisdictions and is exactly what ITF inspectors and admiralty courts need to assess a wage claim quickly.

Download wages-evidence-log.csv

Columns: Date · Time · Event · Person involved · Witnesses · Wage period affected · Amount · Notes · Evidence reference

Pro-bono legal aid

Time limits — act before the claim expires

Wage claims are subject to limitation periods that vary by jurisdiction — typically 3 years from the date wages fell due in most maritime law systems, but as short as 1 year in some flag states and as long as 6 years in others (e.g. England & Wales for contract claims). The limitation clock runs from the date each payment was due, not from the date you signed off. Do not delay: every month without action reduces your options.

Sources: Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) Regulation 2.2 (payment of wages), Standard A2.2 (wages), Standard A2.5.2 (financial security for wage claims and repatriation, 2014 amendment in force 18 January 2017), Regulation 5.1.5 (on-board complaint procedures); ILO Convention 173 — Protection of Workers' Claims in Employer Insolvency (1992) — wages as preferred maritime lien; ILO Convention 181 — Private Employment Agencies (1997) — manning agency licensing obligations; 1993 Geneva Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages — priority of seafarers' wage liens over mortgages and other claims; ITF Constitution — inspector mandate and seafarer assistance obligations. See also: ITF wage-claim toolkit and Maritime Labour Convention 2006 reference.