Monday 23 December 2024
From the 23 December 2023, the updated Marine Order 11 (Living and working conditions on vessels) (MO11) including new amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) will come into effect.
Acknowledging that seafarers are the backbone of international shipping, Australia remains committed to enforcing the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). This ensures seafarers have rights to decent living and working conditions in areas of wages, accommodation, food and water, medical care, health and safety protection that meet global standards.
The amendments aim to:
- Ensure seafarers are fully informed of their rights.
- Clarify adequacy of insurance coverage to compensate seafarers for monetary loss
- Clarify financial security requirements, including identifying the registered owner when they differ from the shipowner.
- Ensure the financial security to provide for repatriation of seafarers is sufficiently established, particularly in cases of abandonment.
- Provide social connectivity onboard.
- Guarantee access to quality free drinking water and nutritious meals.
- Enable prompt medical disembarkation and access to facilities.
- Supply appropriately sized personal protective equipment.
- Report seafarer deaths at sea to flag State for inclusion in a global register.
These changes reflect updates to the MLC adopted by the International Labour Organisation on 6 June 2022.
The revised MO11 also provides clearer guidance on:
- Requirements for non-commercial and fishing vessels.
- Its application to vessels between 200-500 gross tonnage.
For more details, visit Marine order 11—Living and working conditions on vessels or review the consultation feedback report.