THE AUSTRALIAN Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has announced the updated Marine Order 11 (MO11) has come into effect as of yesterday (23 December).
The new MO11 seeks to improve seafarers’ living and working conditions, and includes new amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006.
AMSA acknowledged seafarers as the backbone of international shipping, and affirmed that Australia remains committed to enforcing the MLC.
The Convention ensures seafarers have rights to decent living and working conditions in areas of wages, accommodation, food and water, medical care, health and safety protection that meet global standards.
The amendments to MO11 aim to ensure seafarers are fully informed of their rights, guarantee access to quality free drinking water and nutritious meals, and enable prompt medical disembarkation and access to facilities, amongst others.
Clarification of financial security requirements, provision of social connectivity onboard, appropriately sized personal protective equipment, and clarification of the adequacy of insurance coverage to compensate seafarers for monetary loss were some of the other amendments.
Seafarer deaths at sea must now also be reported to the flag state for inclusion in a global register.
AMSA said these changes reflect updates to the MLC adopted by the International Labour Organisation in June 2022.
The authority also said the revised MO11 provides clearer guidance on requirements for non-commercial and fishing vessels, and its application to vessels between 200-500 gross tonnage.
