A comprehensive CD that explains all the important aspects of the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) has been developed by a classification service provider.
The Hamburg-based Germanischer Lloyd (GL) said its e-learning tool on the MLC, 2006 is the first such tool to cover the convention.
Once the MLC, 2006 is enforced, its regulations governing the working and living conditions for seafarers will become mandatory for nearly every seagoing ship trading internationally. The convention sets out international regulations to provide seafarers with fair, safe and decent working and living conditions, and requires the awareness of all parties involved for its implementation.
With some 55,000 seagoing vessels requiring certification of compliance and the regulations impacting on every level of an organization, this preparation is a massive task, GL said in a press release on its website. Ship owners, managers, crewing agencies, and seafarers can use the e-learning tool to become more familiar with the new requirements.
The e-learning tool explains, step by step, every single regulation of the convention, GL said.
“We have developed this e-learning tool to help individuals prepare themselves and where the main topics of the MLC 2006 are explained in a few words,” said Olaf Quas, GL’s global head of practice for ISM/ISPS/MLC 2006. “This tool has been built with both the crew on board and shore-based personnel in mind, but its portability and ease of use will be especially helpful for personnel who cannot easily visit a training seminar.”
The e-learning tool covers all of the regulations, including such subjects as:
- Hours of work and hours of rest
- Seafarers’ employment agreements
- On-board complaint procedures
Additionally, the tool provides information and examples of how to comply with the MLC, 2006, as well as examples illustrating possible methods of implementation. It shows how a vessel’s owners and crew can prepare themselves for an inspection, explains clearly and concisely the expectations of the auditors and the questions they will ask, and tells how a ship’s crew can demonstrate compliance with the requirements.
The tool will make the MLC, 2006 transparent and comprehensible for a smoother implementation of its requirements, GL said.
To date, 16 member-states have ratified the MLC, 2006, with another 14 ratifications still pending. Although the exact date of its implementation is not yet known, full ratification is expected by early 2012. The MLC, 2006 will then enter into force 12 months later.
