Portugal Commits to Enhance the Protection of Seafarers in Cases of Abandonment and Piracy
- Written by: iPMI Global
June 2023 and the Government of Portugal deposited with the International Labour Organization the declaration of acceptance of the Amendments of 2014 and of 2018 to the Code of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006).
The 2014 Amendments enhance the protection of seafarers in cases of abandonment, death or long-term disability, in particular by establishing detailed rules on the financial security system that must be in place. Cases of abandonment reflected in the ILO/IMO joint database on reported incidents of abandonment of seafarers have drastically increased in recent years.
The 2018 amendments ensure the protection of seafarers’ wages and entitlements when they are held captive as a result of acts of piracy or armed robbery against ships.
The Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security of Portugal, Ms. Ana Mendes Godinho, when depositing the declaration of acceptance, stated that “Portugal attaches the utmost importance to the ratification, implementation and promotion of ILO normative instruments. The worldwide implementation of the 2014 and 2018 amendments to the Code of the MLC, 2006 will contribute to enhance decent work in a sector which is of critical significance for Portugal”.
Receiving the declarations of acceptance, Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the ILO, stated that, "Aware of Portugal’s continuous commitment to seafarers’ rights, I welcome the acceptance of the 2014 and 2018 amendments to the Code of the MLC, 2006, which will contribute to improving the protection of seafarers in cases of abandonment, death or long-term disability and to alleviate the distress of seafarers and their families in cases of captivity as a result of acts of piracy or armed robbery against ships.”
The 2014 and 2018 amendments to the MLC, 2006 will enter into force for Portugal on 13 December 2023.
