MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION (MLC 2006)

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MLC 2006 compliance

It is mandatory for all yacht crew agencies operating in or from France to be listed on the French government MLC 2006 registry. The register can be consulted by clicking here.

To further our compliance, Valor Maritime undergoes a yearly MLC 2006 audit by Lloyd's Register in order to obtain a statement of compliance. This process is purely on a voluntary basis. We value it as it gives our clients and candidates the assurance that correct recruitment procedures are adhered to at Valor Maritime. To ask for a copy of our current statement of compliance please click here.

Over the years, we have attended various MLC 2006 familiarisation and training procedures. The Valor Maritime team each has their own copy of the MLC 2006 for easy referral.

What is MLC 2006?

The ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for more than 1.2 million of the world’s seafarers. The Convention aims to achieve both decent work for seafarers and secure economic interests in fair competition for quality shipowners.

The new labour standard consolidates and updates more than 68 international labour standards related to the Maritime sector adopted over the last 80 years.

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects and aims to be globally applicable, easily understood, readily updatable, and uniformly enforced. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, complementing the key Conventions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The decision by the ILO to move forward and create this major new Maritime Labour Convention was the result of a joint resolution in 2001 by international seafarer and shipowner organisations, supported by various governments. They pointed out that the shipping industry is “the world’s first genuinely global industry” which “requires an international regulatory response of an appropriate kind — global standards applicable to the entire industry”.

Find linked below the MLC 2006 Manuals to read the full text of the convention:

• English
• Español
• Français
• Italiano

Read the MLC 2006 Frequently Asked Questions

An up-to-date list of countries who have ratified MLC 2006 can be found online, published by the International Labour Organization.

Please note that the risk of working on a yacht or ship that flies the flag of a country which has not ratified the MLC 2006 is that the seafarer employment agreements may not be MLC 2006 compliant.

Download the MLC Title 1.4.8 to read advice for seafarers signing on ships flying the flag of a state which has not ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

How does Valor Maritime protect crew?

Prior to placing crew on commercial yachts, Valor Maritime follows the following procedure:

For commercial yachts over 500gt:
We obtain a copy of the yacht’s Maritime and Labour Certificate. This document gives us confirmation that the seafarers’ rights under MLC 2006 are met on these yachts.

For commercial yachts under 500gt and for those who do not have a Maritime and Labour Certificate:
We seek written confirmation that the yachts issue a Seafarers Employment Agreement with the particulars as described in the MLC 2006, standards A2.1, and that the two following statements apply:

• A) The seafarers recruited by us are informed of their rights and duties under their employment agreement, prior to or in the process of engagement, and that proper arrangements are made for seafarers to examine their employment agreement before and after they are signed and for them to receive a copy of that agreement.
• B) The shipowner has the means to protect the seafarers from being stranded in a foreign port.

Crew placed on private yachts are informed that the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 does not apply. We obtain the yacht’s registration documents and ensure proper recruitment procedures are followed.

We encourage open communication with all our crew and welcome their feedback.