Seafarers: shipping’s greatest asset
Australia recognises that seafarers are the most vital aspect of international shipping. Every year Australia inspects thousands of ships to check the safety and wellbeing of seafarers.
In line with the Maritime Labour Convention, we ensure:
- seafarers are correctly paid
- conditions, accommodation, and meals reflect international standards.
Safety is our priority. Each year Australian inspections address thousands of safety deficiencies. Most of our inspectors are ex-mariners who know first-hand the importance of safety and wellbeing at sea.
Women in maritime
Australia supports the IMO’s commitment to gender equality and works to make the maritime community safer and more inclusive. With women making up just 1.2% of the global seafaring workforce, we are focused on improving opportunities for women in maritime.
Australia has an established women’s scholarship program and we pushed to add ‘women in maritime’ as a regular topic at the Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Agencies forum.
We also joined efforts with PacWIMA and Pacific nations to establish the IMO International Day for Women in Maritime, and we proudly backed the IMO Gender Equality Award.
Learn more about Australia’s work towards gender equality.
Maritime Labour Convention
Australia is signatory to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC). The Convention is implemented through the Australian Navigation Act 2012 and legislation such as Marine Order 11 (living and working conditions on vessels) 2015.
The MLC sets global standards for seafarers’ jobs and social rights, ensuring they have decent working and living conditions on vessels.
Australia has a zero-tolerance policy for mistreatment of seafarers. We support them by:
- checking that ships in Australian ports follow MLC rules
- investigating MLC complaints
- detaining ships in breach the rules and, in serious cases, banning them from entering Australian ports.
Read the MLC annual report for findings on some of the issues uncovered by investigations and about MLC in Australia.
For seafarer support, visit the Australian Seafarers' Welfare Council.
Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach to the mistreatment of seafarers and continues to support them by:
- Ensuring compliance with MLC conditions onboard ships in Australian ports.
- Conducting investigations of MLC complaints.
- Detaining ships in breach of the MLC—and in severe cases—refusing access to Australian ports.
Read AMSA’s MLC annual report which provides a baseline of findings on some of the issues uncovered following investigations.
For more information on the MLC in Australia visit Maritime Labour convention guidance.
For seafarer support, visit the Australian Seafarers' Welfare Council.
Port State Control
Safe ships are generally clean ships, and AMSA checks both during Port State Control (PSC) inspections.
Of AMSA’s PSC inspections during 2023, 8.7% of detentions identified deficiencies related to inadequate pollution prevention that could harm the marine environment.
In recent years, we ran focussed inspection campaigns on environmental issues, such as securing cargo to ensure it doesn’t fall overboard.
Find more information on Port State control focused inspection campaigns.