New measures to protect seafarers

The international maritime community has adopted measures to protect abandoned seafarers, and to provide financial security for compensation in cases of death and long-term disability.

GENEVA – More than 300 representatives of seafarers, shipowners and governments, meeting at the International Labour Organization (ILO), have taken concrete steps to protect abandoned seafarers and provide financial security for compensation in cases of death and long-term disability due to occupational injury or hazard. The new measures are also aimed at improving the world’s shipping industry.

 “The adoption of the Maritime Labour Convention in 2006 was an historical milestone that heralded a new era in the maritime sector,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “This latest step, building on international tripartite cooperation, is a very significant and inspiring example for other economic sectors.”

“When they come into force, these measures will ensure the welfare of the world’s seafarers and their families if the seafarers are abandoned, or if death or long-term disability occurs as the result of occupational injury, illness or hazard,” he said. “These steps will certainly help improve working and living conditions for seafarers, doing what is right for the women and men in this sector who play a central role in keeping the real economy going with some 90 per cent of world trade carried on ships..”

The measures come in the form of amendments to the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, which were adopted without opposition. They will now be sent to the ILO’s International Labour Conference in May for approval.

The amendments were developed over nearly a decade by a Joint Working Group established by the ILO and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1998 and will strengthen the 2006 Convention. They establish mandatory requirements that shipowners have financial security to cover abandonment, as well as death or long-term disability of seafarers due to occupational injury and hazard.

“These legal standards will provide relief and peace of mind to abandoned seafarers and their families wherever they may be,” said Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the ILO Labour Standards Department. “In addition, 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.”

Under the new provisions, ships will be required to carry certificates or other documents to establish that financial security exists to protect seafarers working on board. Failure to provide this protection may mean that a ship can be detained in a port.

The ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 came into force on 20 August 2013. To date, 57 ILO Member States representing more than 80 per cent of the world’s global shipping tonnage have ratified the Convention. As of March 2014, the ILO’s Abandonment of Seafarers Database listed 159 abandoned merchant ships, some dating back to 2006 and still unresolved.

“The new measures will guarantee that seafarers are not abandoned, alone and legally adrift for months on end, without pay, adequate food and water and away from home,” Ms. Doumbia-Henry said. “They also clearly make flag states responsible for ensuring that adequate financial security exists to cover the cost of abandonment, and claims for death and long-term disability due to occupational injury and hazards.”

（译文参考：船舶管理部机务培训分析师傅恒星译）

保护海员新举措

国际海事界已经采纳新的保护措施保护船员被遗弃时的权益,并为万一船员长期失去劳动能力或死亡时应获得经济补偿提供金融保障。

日内瓦讯—超过300位来自海员、船东及政府的三方代表齐聚日内瓦国际劳工组织（ILO）总部，在为推进被遗弃船员的保护，并为海员由于职业伤害或因其他危害导致长期失去工作能力或生命应获取的赔偿提供金融保障制定具体措施。该新措施也旨在推动全球航运业发展。

MLC2006生效对航运业来说是具有划时代的历史意义，并且宣告航运业进入一个新纪元。ILO劳工处长Guy Ryder如是说，“最新的规划/步骤是关于建立国际三方合作框架，这是个非常重要的并能为为其他经济领域合作提供令人鼓舞的范例。”

“一旦这些规定强制生效，便能确保那些因公受伤、疾病或其他危害而被遗弃的，死亡或长期丧失劳动能力的船员及其家庭获取相应的福利”他说，“这些步骤肯定会促进船员工作和生活条件的改善，全球有超过90%的经济贸易是通过航运业运输实现，那些为全球贸易做出卓越贡献，在航运业发挥核心作用的男人、女人们应该获得这些权利”

这些措施均以修正案的形式递交给ILO的MLC2006,并获全票通过。他们将会于五月份递交给ILO的国际劳工大会表决通过。

该修正案由ILO和IMO于1998年成立联合工作组后确立，已发展超过10个年头，并将进一步巩固2006公约。他们针对船东建立了覆盖船舶/员被遗弃时，或船员由于职业伤害、疾病、长期丧失劳动能力或死亡时获得经济安全保障的的强制要求。

“这些法律标准将会在任何需要的地方为那些被遗弃的海员及其家庭提供经济补偿及心灵安慰”ILO劳工标准主管Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry说，“另外，大会批准这些修正案，船东和政府同样应强化相关条款落实，旨在为航行全球的高质量船提供公平的竞争环境”

新条款规定，船舶将被要求携带证书或其他文件来证明一件建立在船船员保障的金融安全体系，一旦船舶无法出示上述证据可能会被港口国滞留。
    ILO的MLC2006已于2013年8月20日生效，迄今已有57个劳工组织成员国批准了该公约，覆盖全球超过80%运力的船舶。根据国际劳工组织的被弃船员数据库，截至2014年3月，全球共有159艘被遗弃的商业船只，其中有些弃船案可追溯到2006年，但至今仍然没有得到解决。

“新措施能够保证船员不会再被遗弃，被合法的抛弃在船上孤独的漂流数月，没有工资、缺少正常的食物和淡水供应，更不谈遣返回乡” Doumbia-Henry女士说“措施明确规定，船旗国应负责规定适当的财政担保数额能够覆盖被遗弃的船员费用，以及由于职业伤害和其他危险因素导致的死亡或长期失去劳动能力的船员索赔的需求。”