Global shipping community reaffirms support for seafarers with groundbreaking updates to ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention

• MLC updates agreed between Governments, shipowners and unions set to enter into effect in 2027, after intense week of negotiations at the International Labour Organization headquarters in Geneva.
• Key amendments aim to improve the conditions for seafarers on board ships: New provisions for seafarers to be designated as key workers; strengthened requirements for seafarer repatriation; ensuring visa free shore leave; and enhanced protections against bullying and harassment.
• Recognising that seafarers are among most isolated people on earth when it comes to medical care, ILO approved new MLC provisions recommending carriage of ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers on board ships.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) welcomes the series of landmark updates to ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), following an intense week of negotiations at the International Labour Organization (ILO) headquarters in Geneva. Under ILO’s Special Tripartite Committee on the MLC, governments, shipowners, and unions met from 7-11 April, to review and adopt crucial updates that reflect the evolving needs of seafarers and the maritime industry.

Tim Springett, Chair of the ICS Labour Affairs Committee and Spokesperson for the Shipowners’ Group at the ILO meeting, said:

“I’ve been incredibly proud to represent Shipowners at the ILO this year for the Fifth Meeting of the STC, to review and amend the MLC. I’ve been lucky enough to have the support of such a strong team, and together we have been able to deliver some significant improvements to seafarers’ rights in collaboration with our government and social partners. The accomplishments of STC prove that – whatever the issue facing our industry – when we come together, we can work it out.”

Among the suite of amendments agreed to improve the working and living conditions of seafarers on board ships were provisions for seafarers to be designated as key workers; strengthened requirements to support seafarer repatriation; new mandatory measures to ensure that they have access to shore leave without needing a visa or special permit; and enhanced protections against bullying and harassment.

Helio Vicente, ICS Director of Employment Affairs, commented:

“This has been a successful and historic week of discussions. Working alongside national governments, and transport workers unions, under the auspices of ILO,  we have adopted potentially transformational changes for seafarers and the industry. These developments demonstrate our enduring commitment to improving the lives and working conditions of seafarers around the world.”

Another notable development from last week’s session was the agreement for inclusion of a new provision into the MLC, recommending the carriage of the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers on board ships, complementing an existing requirement for all ships to carry a medical guide on board. The guide was developed with support from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA).

Ms. Corinne Vargha, Director of the International Labour Standards Department of the ILO, added:

“At a time when the spirit of multilateralism and the added value of tripartism are called into question, the STC demonstrated that tripartite dialogue and multilateralism work and deliver effective solutions to global challenges. The outstanding work accomplished this week, in particular the amendments adopted to strengthen protection against violence and harassment on board, the recognition of seafarers as key workers and access to shore leave will make a positive difference in the daily life of seafarers and shipowners.”

The ILO maritime tripartite regulatory structure brings together national governments, alongside a global shipowners group co-ordinated by ICS and a global seafarers group co-ordinated by ITF.

The meeting also agreed a package of complementary resolutions, one of which established a framework for a future joint meeting between the ILO tripartite partners and Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to review and potentially align overlapping seafarer hours of work and rest provisions, within the remit of conventions overseen by both organisations.

The ILO maritime regulatory Process:

The ILO is the only tripartite UN agency through which national governments alongside sectoral social partners (employer and worker representatives) establish labour standards and policies, through open debates and negotiations.

In a maritime context, this takes place through ILO’s Special Tripartite Committee (STC) on the MLC, 2006. During ILO STC meetings, ICS coordinates the maritime employers’ representatives from around the world, whilst the seafarers’ union representatives from around the world are co-ordinated by ITF.

As the longstanding Secretariat of the global maritime employers’ group at the UN ILO, ICS co-ordinates shipowners representation and positions during all maritime meetings involving shipowners, seafarers’ unions and governments.

The new measures adopted by the UN ILO are expected to be rubberstamped in Geneva, during the 113th Session of ILO’s International Labour Conference (2-13 June). They are then expected to enter into effect just over two years later, in December 2027.

The text of MLC amendments adopted on 11 April 2025 can be accessed here. The next STC meeting is set to take place in April 2028.

About the ICS International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers:

The first edition of the International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers was published in March 2023 and is specifically designed for use by those responsible for medical care on board ships, rather than shore-based professionals. The guide was developed through a collaborative effort led by the ICS, with the support of ITF and IMHA.

About ICS:

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet.