The Convention

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 provides protection at work for the world’s seafarers. It sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects, aiming to apply globally and be easy to understand and follow. It replaces almost 70 existing conventions and regulations, benefitting shipowners with a clear, consistent set of standards with which all must comply. The Convention is the result of several years of work by shipowners and their representative organisations, national governments and seafarers’ trades unions, working together under the umbrella of the International Labour Organization (ILO). It was adopted in 2006 at an ILO Labour Conference, involving over 1000 delegates representing shipowners, seafarers and over 100 governments.