The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) will enter into force internationally on 20 August 2013 and will apply to all seafarers and all ships1 engaged in commercial activities. Notably, the MLC also contains a “no more favourable treatment” clause ensuring that no advantage is to be gained from registering a ship in a state that is not a party to the Convention. Such ships may, in fact, face closer scrutiny by port state control officers (PSCO) as they will not possess the appropriate MLC certificates.
Verification and documentation of compliance with MLC standards are major tasks for any shipowner and involve a full review of all existing documentation of management systems and, more importantly, training of all employees to be knowledgeable of the contents of the MLC. Many Members and clients have been proactive in the implementation of the requirements enforced by the MLC and have made plans to have all ships certified and their crews properly trained well in advance of the MLC’s entry into force. However, it appears some shipowners have not grasped the required MLC standards and seem to be unaware of the implications of the “no more favourable treatment” clause and the potential consequences for their ships when undergoing port state control inspections after 20 August 2013.
See attached file: Gard ALERT – Port State authorities enforcement of the MLC.pdf
港口国当局对《海事劳工公约》的执行
2013年8月20日《2006年海事劳工公约》（以下简称”MLC”）将在全球范围内生效，并适用于所有船员和从事商业活动的船舶。值得注意的是，MLC包含”无差别待遇”条款，确保在非公约国登记船舶没有优势。事实上，这些船舶会面临港口国控制官员(PSCO)更仔细的审查，原因是这些船舶不持有适当的MLC证书。
核实并使文件符合MLC标准是所有船东的主要任务，包括全面审查所有现有管理系统文件。更重要的是，船舶需要培训所有雇员使其了解MLC的内容。很多会员和客户一直积极执行MLC的要求，并制定计划，在MLC生效之前使所有船舶具备证书并做好适当船员培训。但是，似乎有一些船东并未掌握必要的MLC标准，也没有意识到”无差别待遇”条款的实质，以及2013年8月20日之后进行港口国控制检查时，可能面临的后果。
详细信息请参阅附件。
