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The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006— the "seafarers' bill of rights" — organises every entitlement and duty into five Titles. Knowing which Title covers what makes it far easier to find the right lever when something goes wrong: an unpaid wage sits in Title 2, a filthy cabin in Title 3, a denied medical in Title 4, and the machinery to enforce all of it in Title 5. This page breaks the five Titles down; the main MLC page covers ratification and history.
Under each Title sit Regulations, mandatory Standards (Part A), and Guidelines (Part B) to be given due consideration. Compliance is declared in the DMLC and certified by the Maritime Labour Certificate — the two documents Port State Control asks for first.
Minimum age (16 in general, with extra protection for those under 18 and restrictions on night work and hazardous work); a valid medical certificate of fitness; the training and qualifications for the role; and regulation of recruitment and placement services so seafarers are not charged fees for finding work.
The Seafarers' Employment Agreement (SEA) and its required contents; payment of wages at no greater than monthly intervals with an account; hours of work and hours of rest (maximum work / minimum rest limits); entitlement to annual leave and shore leave; repatriation at no cost to the seafarer; compensation if the ship is lost or founders; adequate manning; and career and skill development.
Standards for crew accommodation (space, heating, ventilation, sanitary facilities, lighting, noise and vibration) inspected by the flag state; recreational facilities; and food and catering — sufficient quantity and quality of free food and drinking water, and a trained, certificated ship's cook on ships with a prescribed crew.
Medical care onboard and ashore, largely free to the seafarer; shipowner liability for sickness, injury, and death arising from employment; occupational health and safety and accident prevention; access to shore-based seafarer welfare facilities; and social security protection for seafarers and, so far as provided, their dependants.
How the Convention is policed. Flag states inspect and certify ships, issuing a Maritime Labour Certificate and a Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC Part I — national requirements; Part II — the shipowner's measures). Port states inspect visiting foreign ships (Port State Control). Labour-supplying states regulate recruitment. An onboard complaint procedure must be available to every seafarer.
The Titles are not abstract. Your SEA, wage account, and hours-of-rest records are Title 2. The condition of your cabin, the mess, and the food is Title 3. Getting to a doctor and the shipowner paying for it is Title 4. And when a right is denied, Title 5's onboard complaint procedure, the flag state, and Port State Control are the escalation path — a ship can be detained for serious or repeated MLC breaches.
The Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance is the ship-specific summary of how MLC is met. Part I is drawn up by the flag state and lists the national requirements for the 14 inspected areas. Part II is written by the shipowner and states the specific measures adopted onboard to meet each of those requirements. Together with the Maritime Labour Certificate they are kept onboard and checked by Port State Control.
Ships of 500 gross tonnage or more engaged in international voyages, or operating from a port or between ports in another country, must be certified and carry the Maritime Labour Certificate and DMLC. Smaller ships still have to comply with MLC but are not required to hold the certificate; flag states may inspect them by other means.
Each Title contains Regulations (the aim), and under them Standards in Part A (mandatory) and Guidelines in Part B (to be given due consideration). This 'Code' structure lets the mandatory core stay stable while detailed guidance is updated, and it is amended through a tacit-acceptance procedure by the Special Tripartite Committee.