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The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, was adopted by the International Labour Organization in February 2006 and entered into force on 20 August 2013. It consolidated and replaced 37 earlier ILO maritime conventions and is widely known as "the seafarers' bill of rights". It applies to all seafarers on all ships — public or commercial, on international or domestic voyages — except warships, naval auxiliaries, fishing vessels, traditional craft, and small (under 200 GT) ships not on international voyages.
MLC sits alongside SOLAS (safety), MARPOL (environment), and STCW (training) as one of the four pillars of international shipping regulation. Compliance is verified by the flag state through inspection and the issue of a Maritime Labour Certificate, supported by a two-part Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC). Port state control under regional Memoranda of Understanding (Paris MoU, Tokyo MoU, USCG, AMSA, Indian Ocean MoU, etc.) verifies the certificate and inspects compliance directly.
The Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance is the practical compliance document inspected by the flag and port states. Part I is issued by the flag state and lists the national requirements that implement each MLC area for ships flying its flag. Part II is prepared by the shipowner and describes the measures the ship has put in place to satisfy each Part I requirement — manning, accommodation arrangements, complaint procedures, financial-security insurer, hours-of-work records system. Both must be displayed at a place onboard accessible to seafarers (typically the messroom).
Mandatory financial security (typically P&I cover) for unpaid wages and repatriation in cases of abandonment, and for compensation in case of injury or death. Certificate must be displayed onboard. In force 18 January 2017.
Guideline B4.3.1 added explicit reference to the prevention of harassment and bullying. Made mandatory in 2026 STCW review.
SEA continues — wages and entitlements payable — while a seafarer is held in captivity, e.g. by pirates, regardless of contract expiry. In force 26 December 2020.
Required free reasonable internet access onboard; minimum-quality PPE; mandatory reporting of crew fatalities; expanded MLC certificate to cover compliance in port denial of repatriation. In force 23 December 2024.
ILO Special Tripartite Committee continues work on shore-based welfare access, abandonment data sharing with the IMO/ILO database, and recognition of seafarers as "key workers" in any future health emergencies.
Two financial-security mechanisms are mandatory. The first (Standard A2.5.2, in force 2017) covers abandonment — unpaid wages up to four months and repatriation costs. The second (Standard A4.2.1) covers compensation for contractual claims arising from death or long-term disability. Both are typically met by P&I club entry, and the certificates from the insurer must be posted onboard. A vessel without valid certificates is a port-state-control detention case.
Every ship must have a written onboard complaint procedure, posted in a place accessible to seafarers, naming the persons in the chain (head of department → master → DPA → flag state administration). It must allow direct complaint to the master or to the shipowner, must protect against victimisation, and must allow any seafarer to be accompanied or represented during the procedure.