2008, Feb. 11: 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”.

“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.