MLC 2006 Standard A2.1 gives you the right to a written, signed employment agreement before you board — naming both parties, specifying your rank, wages, hours-of-work limits, maximum duration (11 months), and your cost-free repatriation entitlement. That document is a legally binding instrument enforceable in admiralty courts worldwide. Any private side-letter that cuts your pay below the SEA figure, extends your contract beyond 11 months, or waives your MLC rights is unenforceable under Standard A1.4 — and prosecutable against the agency that presented it. Read every clause before signing; once the vessel sails, your leverage drops sharply. The POEA-SEC (Philippines), DG Shipping RPSL rules (India), and flag-state registration requirements all set floors that the SEA cannot go below. For the technical framework of the Convention itself, see the /reference/mlc reference page.
What this usually means
Your Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA) is the only document that defines what you are owed, what you owe, and what you can refuse. MLC 2006 Standard A2.1 sets the minimum content. Before signing, work through every clause; after signing, keep two physical copies and a digital scan. This checklist walks you through each compulsory item and the trap-doors that show up in real SEAs.
Step-by-step
Parties and addresses: your full name and full address, the shipowner's legal name and address (NOT only the manning agent's). MLC A2.1.4(a). Mismatch here is the most common ground for an SEA to be unenforceable against the real owner.
Date of birth, place of engagement, and the agency that recruited you, with the agency's licence number. Verify the licence against the flag-state register (DMW PH, DG Shipping IN, Maradmin UA).
Capacity / rank — must match your CoC. If the SEA gives you a higher rank than your certificate authorises, refuse; you become personally liable in an incident.
Wages: basic, fixed overtime hours, paid leave, allotment percentage, and currency. MLC A2.1.4(h). Cross-check against the CBA the SEA references — the CBA wins where the SEA is below it.
Hours of work: maximum 14h in any 24h and 72h in any 7-day period (STCW Reg. VIII/1 + MLC A2.3). Fixed overtime is paid even when not worked; consolidated wage absorbs ordinary OT but never breaches the limit.
Duration and termination: max 11 months continuous service (MLC A2.4). Notice period for early termination — your notice and the owner's notice should be the same length. Asymmetric notice clauses are a red flag.
Repatriation: cost-free repatriation, route, and entitlement triggers (contract end, injury, ship sale, abandonment, serious cause). MLC Reg. 2.5. The financial-security insurer's name must be available on board.
Discipline and CBA: identify the applicable CBA (IBF, ITF TCC, national, none). 'No applicable CBA' on an FoC-flagged ship is a red flag — the ITF TCC minimum still applies.
Side-letters and addenda: ONLY clauses inside the registered SEA are enforceable. Any 'private agreement' to take a lower wage or longer contract is unenforceable and prosecutable against the agency.
Evidence to save
Signed copy of your SEA (photograph every page before boarding — the original stays on file with the flag-state authority).
Wage account / pay slips for every month — cross-check basic + overtime + allotment + deductions against the SEA schedule.
Screenshots or printouts of any WhatsApp / email from the master or DPA that conflicts with a clause in the SEA (e.g. verbal order to work beyond the hours-of-work limit).
The manning agency's licence number and the date you verified it against the issuing authority's register (DMW, DG Shipping, Maradmin).
Photograph of the MLC-DMLC Part II posted in the messroom — it names the financial-security insurer and policy number.
Any addendum, side-letter, or appendix presented to you before or after signing the main SEA.
Your COC and the rank stated in the SEA — mismatch creates personal liability in an incident.
What NOT to sign
Any side-letter promising a lower wage than the registered SEA or CBA floor — unenforceable against you and unlawful for the agency.
An addendum extending total service beyond 11 continuous months — MLC A2.4 cap is mandatory.
A 'final receipt' or 'quittance' on sign-off until every wage, overtime, and leave-pay line has actually cleared your bank account.
Blank or partially completed wage-account forms — fill in every figure yourself before signing.
A 'no claims' declaration attached to a repatriation ticket when wages are still in dispute.
Any document in a language you cannot read without a trusted translation — demand an interpreter or time to review.
Escalation path
Read and verify all clauses against MLC Std A2.1 minimum content before signing. If a clause is missing, request it in writing.
After signing, if a clause is breached: submit a written complaint under the onboard procedure (MLC A5.1.5) to the head of department, then master.
If no remedy on board: escalate in writing to the DPA / shipowner. CC the manning agency's licensing authority (DMW PH, DG Shipping IN, Maradmin UA).
Contact the ITF inspector at the next port — ITF can apply TCC CBA minimums regardless of the individual SEA on FoC-flagged vessels.
File a formal complaint with the flag state's maritime administration using the contact on the DMLC Part II.
If dispute persists post-sign-off: pursue via national labour tribunal (NLRC/POEA PH, Labour Court IN) within the 3-year limitation period for wage claims.
Legal basis
MLC 2006 Reg. 2.1 and Standard A2.1 (content of seafarers' employment agreements). STCW Reg. I/14 (responsibilities of companies). ILO Convention 181 (Private Employment Agencies, no fees to workers). Flag-state SEA registration regimes: Philippines POEA-SEC + DMW, India DG Shipping RPSL, Norway NIS/NOR.
Disclaimer. General information only — not legal advice. Rules vary by flag state, port state, vessel type, applicable CBA, and contract. Where a fact below is critical to your case, verify against the cited source and consider professional advice.