Maritime law — conventions, codes, and what they mean for seafarers

Maritime law is a stack of overlapping conventions and codes — IMO conventions (SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, COLREGs, BWM), ILO labour standards (MLC 2006, ILO C181), national laws of the flag and port states, the vessel's SMS, the charterparty, and the SEA. This hub maps the parts that matter to a working seafarer and links to the practical right or help page that turns each into an action.

Human element — labour, training, certification

• MLC 2006 — Maritime Labour Convention

  The 'seafarer's bill of rights'. Wages, hours, accommodation, repatriation, financial security.

• Right: MLC 2006 in practice

  What MLC actually gives you as a working seafarer.

• STCW Convention + Code

  Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping.

• STCW hub

  BST, revalidation, country guides, verification portals.

• Hours of work and rest (STCW VIII)

  10/24, 77/7 — the fitness-for-duty floor.

Safety + operations

• SOLAS — Safety of Life at Sea

  Lifeboats, fire, watertight integrity, navigation, GMDSS, ISM, ISPS.

• MARPOL — Marine pollution

  Annex I (oil), II (chemicals), III (packaged), IV (sewage), V (garbage), VI (air).

• ISM Code

  Safety Management System, DPA, internal audits, near-miss reporting.

• ISPS Code

  Ship Security Officer, SSP, security levels, declaration of security.

• COLREGs — collision regulations

  Right-of-way, look-out, sound + light signals, restricted-visibility rules.

• Ballast Water Management Convention

  D-1 vs D-2, management plan, record book.

Commercial + compliance

• Port-state control (Paris, Tokyo, etc.)

  How inspections work, common deficiencies, white/grey/black lists.

• Flag-state directory

  Registries, MoU ratings, MLC status, FOC notes.

• Classification societies (IACS)

  What class certifies and how it interacts with flag.

• Charterparties

  Voyage / time / bareboat — how the commercial contract sits over the SEA.

• Laytime + demurrage

  NOR, SOF, time bars — why these matter to the crew.

Seafarer rights in practice

• Right: unpaid wages

  MLC A2.5.2 trigger, evidence, ITF + ISWAN escalation.

• Right: abandonment

  Financial security claim, IMO/ILO Joint Database, repatriation.

• Right: repatriation

  Owner-paid sign-off entitlement under MLC Regulation 2.5.

• Right: medical care onboard

  MLC Regulation 4.1, TMAS, medevac.

• Right: injury / death compensation

  MLC Standard A4.2 + national supplements.

• Right against recruitment fees + scams

  ILO C181 + MLC A1.4(5)(b).

• Right: passport / documents held

  Withholding documents is unlawful in most jurisdictions.

• Right: PSC complaints

  MLC A5.2.2 onshore-complaint procedure.

• Right: flag-state complaints

  MLC Regulation 5.1 — flag-state inspection + complaint.