On 25 June, the maritime industry celebrates the Day of the Seafarer, a United Nations recognised occasion which salutes the heroes of the sea who work tirelessly to ensure that global trade continues to move and national economies thrive. With around 90% of world trade being transported by sea, there are over 2 million seafarers on board 74,000 vessels who are doing the integral work which facilitates the movement of over 12 billion tons of cargo and over 30 million ocean-going passengers each year.

In addition to celebrating the Day of the Seafarer, we are also in the year marking the 20^th anniversary of the adoption of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006. This international maritime labour instrument sets the global standards for seafarers’ working and living conditions on board ships, and ensures the maintenance of a global level playing field for good employment standards. By consolidating 68 international labour conventions and recommendations, a single, flexible, and enforceable framework was created, which protects seafarers whilst ensuring fair competition for shipowners, and remains the most successful international maritime labour instrument to have ever been adopted and implemented.

This is not the only strength of the Maritime Labour Convention. The framework additionally generates cooperation between governments, employers, and workers through the tripartite regulatory system of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The convention provides mechanisms for consultation and communication between representatives of seafarers and shipowners at a national level, which can make shipping safer, more predictable, and more sustainable.

The Maritime Labour Convention is a prime example of how the celebration of our seafarers is transferred into actionable change on an international scale. Therefore, as we celebrate the Day of the Seafarer, we also use this to call attention to the areas where policy needs to be reformed. We are against the backdrop of heightened geopolitical tension, climate transitions, and systematic pressure on global supply chains, which can have grave knock-on effects to our seafarers. They are vulnerable to decisions taken outside of the maritime sector, weakened or inconsistent applications of the MLC, and being placed in dangerous situations despite doing everything correct in their job. The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) outlines ten key policy areas to focus on for the safety and wellbeing of our seafarers, to highlight to global decision-makers. These policy areas are divided into two categories. The first highlighting the factors that continue to positively shape the seafarer employment landscape through promoting the regulatory frameworks for employment of seafarers. The second category identifies the areas where further action is urgently required through strengthened cooperation between industry, unions, governments and intergovernmental organisations.

The first category of policies consists of: ‘Protecting the MLC, 2006 as cornerstone of decent work at sea’, ‘Positive and Inclusive shipboard cultures’, ‘Continuing support of the ILO recommended minimum seafarer wage negotiations’, and ‘Ensuring balanced training and supporting a just transition’, The second category contains six more key policies, including: ‘Ensuring fair treatment for seafarers’, ‘Safeguarding maritime security and freedom of navigation’, ‘Eliminating illegal recruitment practices’, ‘Eliminating seafarer abandonment’, ‘Securing ‘Key worker’ status and ‘visa-free’ travel for seafarers’, and ‘Collective action and leadership through cross-governmental decision-making’. You can read the full descriptions of these policies in our recent statement.

The functioning of global shipping depends on policy and political actions taken across government. On this Day of the Seafarer, The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), therefore, calls on political leaders, policy makers, and senior public officials, including those outside traditional maritime portfolios, to recognise shipping and seafarers as essential to socio-economic global stability. By protecting our industry, and those key workers in the industry, you protect global trade, energy security, food supply, and crisis resilience.