Who does MLC 2006 apply to?
MLC 2006 applies to any commercial merchant vessel under international law. Certain vessels, workboats under 500gt working in the UK for example, do not have to hold the MLC certification. They do, however, have to comply with the standards of MLC 2006.
Fishing, military, traditional, and leisure vessels do not have to comply with the convention.
What is the purpose of MLC 2006?
MLC 2006 is considered as the fourth pillar of maritime conventions and is in place for two main reasons.
- To create a level playing field by removing any unfair advantage given to shipping companies who previously had standards lower than that required by MLC 2006; and
- To improve the crew’s working and living conditions.
MLC 2006 was brought into UK law on the 7th August 2014.
What certificates are required under MLC 2006?
Certificates required under MLC 2006
- MLC Statement of Compliance – 5 year validity;
- DMLC 1 – Valid for life – (similar to the Conditions of Assignment issued with a Load Line Certificate);
- DMLC 2 – Valid for life – (the companies procedure for MLC. What the SMS is to ISM. What the SSP is to ISPS.); and
- SRPS (Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service) – 5-year validity.
What are the fourteen criteria to be met under MLC 2006?
- Minimum age of seafarers
- Required Medical Certification
- Qualification of seafarers
- Seafarers Employment Agreements
- Crew wages and entitlement to leave
- Safe Manning Levels
- Seafarer Recruitment and Placement Service (SRPS)
- Hours of Rest
- Accommodation standards
- Recreational facilities
- Food and catering
- Health/Safety and accident prevention
- Medical care onboard
- An official complaints procedure
What are the five titles in the MLC 2006?
Maritime Labour Convention 2006
- Title 1 - Minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship
- Title 2 – Conditions of employment
- Title 3 – Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
- Title 4 – Health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection
- Title 5 – Compliance and enforcement
What is the contents of Title 1 of the MLC 2006?
Title 1: Minimum Requirements for Seafarers to work on a ship
- Minimum age
- Medical certification
- Training and qualifications
- Recruitment and placement
What is the contents of Title 2 of the MLC 2006?
Title 2: Conditions of Employment
- Seafarers’ employment agreements
- Wages
- Hours of work and hours of rest
- Entitlement to leave
- Repatriation
- Seafarers’ compensation for the ship’s loss or foundering
- Manning levels
- Career and skill development and opportunities for seafarers’ employment
What is the contents of Title 3 of the MLC 2006?
Title 3: Accommodation, Recreational Facilities, Food and Catering
- Accommodation and recreational facilities
- Food and catering
What is the contents of Title 4 of the MLC 2006?
Title 4: Health Protection, Medical Care, Welfare and Social Security Protection
- Medical care on board ship and ashore
- Shipowners’ liability
- Health and safety protection and accident prevention
- Access to shore-based welfare facilities
- Social security
What is the contents of Title 5 of the MLC 2006?
Title 4: Health Protection, Medical Care, Welfare and Social Security Protection
- Medical care on board ship and ashore
- Shipowners’ liability
- Health and safety protection and accident prevention
- Access to shore-based welfare facilities
- Social security
How do you know if your ship is complying with HSSC?
The Harmonised System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) seeks to standardise the period of validity and the intervals between surveys for the 9 main convention certificates to a maximum period of validity of 5-years (except the Passenger Ship Safety Certificate). So if all your main certificates have a validity of 5-years then you are in compliance with the HSSC.
Who requires Employers Liability Insurance?
When a shipping company employs through a recruitment company BOTH the shipping company and the recruitment company must have their own Employers Liability Insurance.
A copy of the shipping companies ELI must be kept onboard in a place where the crew can see.
This is a new requirement under MLC 2006 – January 2017 amendment.
Under the Merchant Navy Code of Conduct, when can a seafarer have his/her employment terminated?
Merchant Navy Code of Conduct
The Master may dismiss a seafarer from the ship either due to Gross Misconduct, or due to breaches of a lesser degree after warnings have been given. Dismissal from the ship by the Master, however, will not operate to terminate employment. A shore hearing, of which the seafarer will be invited to, will then be held with an appropriate shore manager who will decide the seafarer’s future employment.
