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MARITIME LABOUR CONVENTION (MLC 2006)
MLC 2006 compliance
It is mandatory for all yacht crew agencies operating in or from France to be listed on the French government MLC 2006 registry. The register can be consulted by clicking here.
To further our compliance, YPI CREW undergoes a yearly MLC 2006 audit by Lloyd's Register in order to obtain a statement of compliance. This process is purely on a voluntary basis. We value it as it gives our clients and candidates the assurance that correct recruitment procedures are adhered to at YPI CREW. To ask for a copy of our current statement of compliance, please click here.
Over the years, we have attended various MLC 2006 familiarisation and training procedures. The YPI CREW team each has their own copy of the MLC 2006 for easy referral.
What is MLC 2006?
The ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) provides comprehensive rights and protection at work for more than 1.2 million of the world’s seafarers. The Convention aims to achieve both decent work for seafarers and secure economic interests in fair competition for quality shipowners. The new labour standard consolidates and updates more than 68 international labour standards related to the Maritime sector adopted over the last 80 years.
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 sets out seafarers’ rights to decent conditions of work on a wide range of subjects and aims to be globally applicable, easily understood, readily updatable and uniformly enforced. It has been designed to become a global instrument known as the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatory regime for quality shipping, complementing the key Conventions of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The decision by the ILO to move forward and create this major new Maritime Labour Convention was the result of a joint resolution in 2001 by international seafarer and shipowner organisations, supported by various governments. They pointed out that the shipping industry is “the world’s first genuinely global industry”, which “requires an international regulatory response of an appropriate kind — global standards applicable to the entire industry”.
Find linked below the MLC 2006 Manuals to read the full text of the convention:
An up-to-date list of countries that have ratified MLC 2006 can be found online, published by the International Labour Organisation.
Please note that the risk of working on a yacht or ship that flies the flag of a country that has not ratified the MLC 2006 is that the seafarer employment agreements may not be compliant with the MLC 2006. Click here to read advice for seafarers signing on ships flying the flag of a state which has not ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).
How does YPI CREW protect crew?
YPI CREW is a French recruitment and placement company operating in accordance with the French implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (as amended).
In accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, Standard A1.4 and French regulations, YPI CREW does not charge seafarers any fees for registration or placement services.
In accordance with Décret n° 2017-1119 du 29 juin 2017, Article 15, YPI CREW will verify, no later than 72 hours after your embarkation, that you have safely joined the yacht. This follow-up is part of our duty to ensure the well-being of placed crew and to maintain compliance with French regulations governing recruitment and placement services.
In accordance with the 2022 amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (which came into force on 23 December 2024), seafarers are entitled to financial protection in the event of monetary loss resulting from a failure by a recruitment and placement service or by the shipowner to meet its obligations under the Seafarers’ Employment Agreement (SEA). You are hereby informed of your rights under this protection system.
Our procedures differ depending on the type of yacht:
If we assist you with securing a job on a commercial yacht over 500 GT
We obtain a copy of the yacht’s Maritime Labour Certificate, which confirms that the seafarers’ rights under the MLC 2006 are met on that vessel, including the 2022 Amendments relating to financial protection provisions available to seafarers. Full details will be provided in the SEA or by the yacht’s employer or management company.
If we assist you with securing a job on a commercial yacht under 500 GT without a Maritime Labour Certificate:
We seek written confirmation that the yacht issues a Seafarers’ Employment Agreement with the particulars described in MLC 2006 Standard A2.1, and that:
A) Seafarers recruited by us are informed of their rights and duties under their employment agreement before or in the process of engagement, are able to examine it before and after signing, and receive a copy.
B) the shipowner has the means to protect seafarers from being stranded in a foreign port.
Seafarers’ Employment Agreements (SEA)
Seafarers must be informed of the rights and duties contained in their Seafarers’ Employment Agreement (SEA) before or in the process of engagement. They must be given an opportunity to examine the document and seek advice before signing. We advise you to review the terms offered by the yacht or its management/employer, to ask questions where needed, and to receive a copy of the SEA for your records before joining the yacht. The SEA is issued by the yacht or employer, who provides full details of wages, leave, repatriation and other entitlements. YPI CREW does not issue SEAs and is not a party to them; the employment relationship exists solely between the seafarer and the yacht or its employer/management company. Our role is to facilitate introductions and ensure that seafarers are informed of the need to understand their rights and duties before engagement.
If we assist you with securing a job on a private yacht
You are hereby informed that the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 does not apply to private yachts. We obtain the yacht’s registration documents and follow appropriate recruitment procedures in accordance with French regulations.
When a yacht is private, the protections required under the MLC 2006 may not be guaranteed. This can mean that some important elements of working life at sea are not formally defined or enforced. In day-to-day yachting, however, it is common practice for private yachts to offer written contracts. This is because crew expect written terms, management companies prefer clarity, insurers increasingly request documentation, disputes are harder to manage without it, and some yachts shift between private and charter status.
At YPI CREW, we encourage seafarers considering such roles to request written terms covering salary, leave, medical arrangements, repatriation and notice provisions, and to ensure they understand the conditions offered by the yacht or employer before engagement.
In any case, we encourage open communication and welcome your feedback at any stage of the recruitment process.
After-hours emergency contact +33 6 12 04 65 08
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