Maritime Labour Convention

MLC 2006, the 'fourth pillar' of international maritime law, consolidated over 65 previous ILO maritime instruments and entered into force in 2013. It covers minimum age, medical certification, recruitment and placement, seafarer employment agreements, hours of work and rest (maximum 14 hours in any 24 hours, 72 in any 7 days), entitlements (leave, repatriation), accommodation, food, health protection, social security, and grievance handling. Ships ≥500 GT on international voyages must carry a Maritime Labour Certificate (MLC).