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Bahamas
Ratifies Major New Ilo Maritime Labour Convention
February 12, 2008, NASSAU, Bahamas (ILO News) - The
Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas today handed
over its instrument of ratification of the historic Maritime
Labour Convention, 2006 of the International Labour
Organization (ILO).
Ratification makes the Bahamas the third major shipping
country in the world, after Liberia and the Republic of
Marshall Islands, to ratify the Convention adopted by the
94th International Labour Conference (Maritime) in Geneva in
February 2006. The Bahamas is the third largest flag State
in the world.
Sometimes called the “super convention”, it saw governments,
ship owners and seafarers agree on comprehensive
international requirements for seafarers’ working and living
conditions and to promote quality shipping in the rapidly
growing maritime sector. Aimed at protecting the world's 1.2
million or more seafarers, it addresses the evolving
realities and needs of an industry that handles 90 per cent
of the world's trade.
“This provides a clear indication of the continued
commitment of the Bahamas to international labour standards
and the ILO,” said Ms. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of
the ILO’s International Labour Standards Department, on
receiving the instrument of ratification from the Bahamian
authorities here today. “It illustrates the leadership role
of the Bahamas in the maritime industry and its
determination to ensure quality shipping based on a strong
socio-economic foundation and respect for the environment
and decent conditions of work for seafarers”.
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“The Bahamas had an important role in the development and
final adoption of this super convention,” said Senator the
Honourable Dion A. Foulkes, Minister of Maritime Affairs and
Labour, "and I am personally proud that as Minister with
responsibility for both portfolios, we are able to ratify
this convention at this time. The Bahamas has a demonstrated
commitment to ensuring that ships flying the Bahamas flag
are high quality shipping operations. This necessarily
includes ensuring conditions of decent work for those that
work on Bahamas registered ships.”
The ground-breaking Convention sets out a seafarers' "bill
of rights" and is intended to be the “third pillar” in the
international shipping regulation complementing the major
maritime Conventions of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) on environmental protection and ship
safety and security. It establishes a strong compliance and
enforcement mechanism based on flag State inspection and
certification of seafarers’ working and living conditions.
This is supported by port State inspection of these ships to
ensure ongoing compliance between inspections.
The Convention also contains provisions allowing it to keep
in step with the needs of the industry and help secure
universal application and enforcement. It sets minimum
requirements for seafarers to work on a ship and contains
provisions on conditions of employment, hours of work and
rest, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and
catering, health protection, medical care, welfare and
social security protection.
The move by the Bahamas marks a major step toward achieving
the goal of bringing the Convention into force in the next
few years. Ratification by the Bahamas now brings the ILO
even closer to meeting the requirement for entry into force
of the Convention, namely its ratification by at least 30
ILO member States with a total share of at least 33 per cent
of world gross tonnage