Maritime Labour Convention [MLC] comes into force

The Maritime Labour Convention has come into force on the 20th of August 2013, after its adoption by the International Labour Organisation in February 2006.

Due to the fact that the MLC relies on implementation by countries through their national laws, the EU Commission is working on aligning the current Directives to the MLC requirements.

Amongst the proposed amendments to the EU Directives one finds:

• Before allowing a ship to fly their flag, member states would need to ensure that that the ship complies with international rules and regulations;
• The member state needs to ensure that appropriate checks and monitoring mechanisms are in place and that all the necessary inspections are being carried out;
• The member state needs to ensure that all the required standards are kept on an on-going basis;
• The inclusion of the Maritime Labour Certificate and the Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance in the list of documents, inspected by the port state inspectors.

For further information about how GVZH Advocates can help you with your EU maritime law requirements kindly contact us here.