New MLC 2006 Clauses released for Shipman, Crewman and Supplytime
With the coming into force of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 last August, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) - the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners - investigated the potential impact of the Maritime Labor Convention on its key standard contracts.
From a contractual perspective the main area of concern is the MLC definition of seafarer which is too broad and may create liabilities towards employees who are not strictly regarded as seafarers. Three BIMCO standard contracts have therefore been identified as requiring additional wording namely: shipman, crewman and supplytime.
To address the issue, BIMCO has developed a suite of Recommended Additional MLC Clauses for BIMCO Contracts. The Clauses are designed to be added to specific BIMCO contracts as a supplementary clause. They have been drafted to apportion liability and responsibility for personnel on board the vessel not directly employed by the owners. BIMCO highly recommends their incorporation into all new agreements.
The Clauses are available to download free of charge from the Clauses section of the BIMCO under website
