The Biggest Changes to the Maritime Labour Convention Since 2006 — What They Mean for You

The Fifth Special Tripartite Committee Meeting

Between 7 and 11 April 2025, governments, shipowner representatives, and seafarer representatives met at the ILO in Geneva for the Fifth Meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee established under the MLC, 2006. What came out of that meeting — formally adopted by the International Labour Conference on 6 June 2025 — is one of the more consequential rounds of amendments to the Convention since it was first adopted, covering six themes. The most relevant to crew welfare are shore leave, repatriation, and protection from violence and harassment.

Shore Leave, Without a Visa

Shore leave is now written into the MLC as its own regulation. The core commitment: seafarers should be able to go ashore without needing a visa or special permit, and without discrimination based on the flag their ship flies. This directly targets a recurring, documented problem — seafarers denied shore access purely on the basis of nationality or flag, regardless of their actual documentation or conduct.

Repatriation, Regardless of Flag

The repatriation provisions have been strengthened so that governments must facilitate normal repatriation of seafarers without discrimination on any grounds, and irrespective of the flag state of the vessel they served on. This closes a gap that's mattered in practice during exactly the kind of geopolitical and port-access disruptions that have made headlines in recent years — a seafarer's route home should not depend on which flag happened to be on the stern.

Protection From Violence and Harassment

New regulations require governments to put measures in place to prevent shipboard violence and harassment — explicitly including sexual harassment, bullying, and sexual assault. This is the first time the MLC has addressed this directly and by name, rather than leaving it to be inferred from general health and safety or working conditions provisions.

Recognition as Key Workers

Governments are now expected to designate and recognise seafarers as key workers, and to take appropriate measures facilitating their safe movement when travelling for work — a provision with an obvious lineage back to the crew change crisis of the pandemic years, when seafarers were repeatedly stranded by border closures despite keeping global trade moving.