On April 10, 2022, Oman submitted the document of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, as amended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and based on the Royal Decree approving the accession.
The Sultanate of Oman is the first Gulf country to ratify this agreement.
Nasser bin Salem al Hadrami, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Labour, said that the Maritime Labour Convention is an international labour agreement issued by the International Labour Organization and is widely known as the ‘Seafarers’ Rights Charter’ and was adopted by representatives of governments, employers and workers at an international labour conference.
A seafarer can be defined as someone who is employed to serve aboard any marine vessel. It is used to describe a person with a long history of serving within the profession.
This is significant in the light of Covid-19, as the infections caused hundreds of thousands of seafarers to be effectively stranded at sea because they could not disembark from ships. It included repatriating at the end of their tours of duty, which put the safety and future of shipping at risk.
The agreement focuses on achieving decent work for seafarers, secure economic interests, and ensure fair competition among owners of high-quality vessels.
It also establishes international minimum standards for living and working onboard ships for seafarers and provides decent work and strengthens the protection of working conditions for them.
Guy Ryder, the ILO Director-General, described the development as a milestone. He said Oman, a longstanding maritime nation, has shown the way forward for other countries in the region.
“Oman becomes the first member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to join the global efforts to ensure decent work for seafarers and fair competition for shipowners,” he added.
The MLC brought together many existing labour standards that were not relevant to present working and living conditions, low ratification levels, or inadequate enforcement and compliance systems.
According to the ILO, combining them into one Convention makes it easier for countries to regulate and enforce consistent industry norms and standards worldwide.
Al Khanjari stated that “Joining the MLC, 2006, is a clear confirmation of the Sultanate of Oman’s longstanding tradition as a prominent maritime nation in the region.”
“This ratification reaffirms the commitment of my country to uphold the provisions of the Convention to achieve decent work for seafarers,” he said.
The MLC was adopted in February 2006 and entered into force on August 20, 2013. Since then, it has become a worldwide reference for the maritime industry and a pillar of international maritime rules and regulations.
The heads of two organisations representing seafarers and shipowners, respectively, have welcomed this latest ratification.
“As the first Gulf State to adopt the MLC, Oman extends the safeguards of this Convention not only to its own seafarers, but also to those who call into its ports and navigate through its strategically important waters,” said Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Guy Platten, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), said it is now more vital than ever for more governments to ratify the Convention. “Reaching 100 signatories is an important milestone. As we saw throughout the pandemic and the crew change crisis, governments who have ratified the Convention must stand by their words and take action to protect seafarers’ rights,” he added.
