By
Rebecca Gibson |
Several organisations within the marine industry have called for the latest Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 amendments to be implemented quickly to ensure seafarers are fully protected in the event of injury, death or abandonment.
Agreed during a meeting of the special Tripartite Committee of the MLC, the amendments aim to provide financial security systems to assist seafarers in the event of their abandonment. Changes also propose systems to ensure seafarers are adequately compensated in the case of workplace death or long-term personal injury.
The amendments will be submitted to the International Labour Conference in June 2014, after which a prescribed period will be set for member states to register any disagreement to the changes. After a six-month period, the amendments will come into force, requiring all member states to ensure ships sailing under their flags maintain a financial security system to cover emergency contingencies. Vessels will be required to carry a certificate proving their coverage, in the form of either insurance, a national fund, social security scheme or similar arrangements.
Seafarers Rights International (SRI) welcomed the amendments but highlighted the need to ensure that they deliver practical and enforceable rights for seafarers to ensure they are comprehensively protected.
“If the amendments are enacted into national law, including effective operation of a financial security system, then seafarers should be protected from the worst consequences of abandonment,” said Deirdre Fitzpatrick, executive director of SRI. “The solution to require financial security could mean an effective recourse for seafarers or their families facing potentially complex legal claims for compensation due to an occupational illness or hazard.”
Marine insurance intermediary Seacurus has indicated the need for all member states to approve the policy quickly.
“This is a decision which should be welcomed by all parties in the maritime industry,” said Thomas Brown, managing director of Seacurus. “Now that it has been taken, it is in everybody’s interest to press ahead without delay.”
Last year, Seacurus created a CrewSeacure policy to provide indemnification in the event of the financial default of seafarers’ employers and offer a recompense for unpaid crew wages.
“The requirement for cover will be mandatory on all shipowners, thereby eliminating any uncertainty,” said Brown. “The policy will enable all employers of seafarers to meet their regulatory obligations under MLC 2006. The cover is available now, and it is affordable.”