A Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on compliance with some MLC, 2006 provisions was carried out jointly by the Paris MoU and Tokyo MOU during the period 1st September 2024 to 30th November 2024.
The purpose of the CIC was to assess seafarers’ employment conditions under the MLC, 2006 Convention on board ships of various flag states, ensuring their contracts (SEAs) comply with MLC, 2006 provisions. It also aimed to verify that seafarers receive appropriate wages, that shipowners provide financial security for compensation in the event of death, disability, or repatriation, and to raise awareness among shipowners, operators, and seafarers of the specific requirements of the CIC.
Overall, the results show a good level of implementation of the MLC,2006 provisions on which the CIC focused. A total of 30 ships out of the total of 3863 ships (0,78%) were detained for at least one CIC-related topic detainable deficiency.
The following summarizes the results of the CIC:
- The highest compliance was observed in relation to Question 6, relating to whether the wage or salary payments were made to the seafarer at no greater than monthly intervals, where 99.7% responded ‘yes’. The second highest compliance was relating to Question 7 on whether the seafarers have been given a status of accounts and wages paid on at least a monthly basis, where 99.3% responded ‘yes’. Notably, even if the compliance for both questions was high it resulted in 7 detentions.
- There was a high compliance rate averaging 98.7% in general.
- The least compliance was noted concerning Question 4, whether the seafarers’ employment agreement include all the required elements specified in the MLC, 2006, where 2.8% responded ‘no’. The second least compliance was relating to Question 2 on whether the seafarer is able to access information regarding their employment conditions on board, where 2.7% responded ‘no’.
- The overall detention rate based on total CIC inspections was 0.78%.
- 30 vessels with deficiencies marked as grounds for detention were in the Standard Risk category.
- By ship type, as in previous years, General cargo/multipurpose ships has highest CIC-topic detention rate (57.1%) followed by bulk carrier (19%) and oil tanker (9.5%).
- Similar to previous CICs, ship age <6 years had 0% detention rate for CIC-topic detentions, while the highest rate was for ships 25-30 years (26.8%).
- The flag State with highest number of CIC related deficiencies was Liberia (81 corresponding to 14,9% of the total number of deficiencies) followed by Marshall Islands (74 / 13,6%), Panama (68 /12,5%) and Malta (54 / 9,9%).
- Ships with CIC related grounds for detention, the highest number of detentions, by flag State, was Panama (7 corresponding to 23,3% of the total number of detentions) followed closely by Tanzania, United Republic of (6 / 20%), Liberia and Malta with (5 / 16,7%) each.
- The Flag administrations which had CIC topic detentions were a mix of White, Grey, Black and not listed in the Paris MOU WGB list. Therefore no trend could be discerned.
- Only one CIC related deficiency was recorded as RO related on Certificate or Documentary evidence of financial security relating to shipowners’ liability on a Tanzanian General cargo/multipurpose of more than 37 years old. Due to this small number and in order to make the report more readable, the columns on RO related have been deleted in every table.