ILO adopts measures protecting seafarers

MANILA, Philippines - The international maritime community has adopted measures aimed at protecting abandoned seafarers and providing them compensation in cases of death and long-term disability, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Saturday.

More than 300 representatives of seafarers, shipowners and governments recently met and came up with new measures aimed at improving the shipping industry, the ILO said.

The new measures are amendments to the ILO’s Maritime Labor Convention 2006. These will be sent to the ILO’s International Labor Conference in May for approval.

Under the new provisions, shipowners must have financial security to cover abandonment, death or long-term disability of seafarers due to occupational injury and hazard. Ships will be required to carry certificates or other documents to establish financial security. Failure to provide this protection may mean that a ship can be detained in a port.

“These legal standards will provide relief and peace of mind to abandoned seafarers and their families wherever they may be,” said Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, ILO director for Labor Standards and Development.

“By adopting these amendments to the Convention, shipowners and governments are also strengthening its provisions aimed at ensuring a level-playing field for quality shipping around the world,” she added.

At present, 57 ILO member states representing more than 80 percent of the world’s global shipping tonnage have ratified the Convention.

As of last month, the ILO’s Abandonment of Seafarers Database listed 159 abandoned merchant ships, some dating back to 2006 and still unresolved.