Maritime Labour Convention
Kenya ratifies the ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
Kenya is the 64th ILO member State and the tenth African State – after Liberia, Gabon, Benin, Togo, Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Congo – to have ratified the MLC, 2006.
GENEVA (ILO News) – On 31 July 2014, the Government of Kenya deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006). Kenya is the 64th ILO member State and the tenth African State – after Liberia, Gabon, Benin, Togo, Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, and Congo – to have ratified the MLC, 2006. Over 5,000 Kenyan seafarers work on Kenya - flagged vessels and additional 6,000 working abroad. Kenya is also an important and strategic port State on the African continent.
On receiving the instrument of ratification, Ms Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the International Labour Standards Department said: “I am particularly pleased to see another African country joining the global effort for promoting decent working and living conditions of seafarers and ensuring conditions of fair competition for shipowners. The ratification by Kenya of the MLC, 2006 represents an important commitment by the country to ensure that its seafarers enjoy the rights set out in the Convention. The Government of Kenya will now be able to continue to move forward and transpose the provisions of the Convention into national law in order to ensure that ships flying its flag are duly inspected and certified in accordance with international standards set in the Convention and that it provides effective protection for Kenyan seafarers.
The MLC, 2006 entered into force on 20 August 2013 for the first 30 member States whose ratifications were registered by 20 August 2012. The Convention will enter into force for Kenya on 31 July 2015, that is, one year after its ratification. For more background information, please visit the dedicated MLC webpage at /mlc.
On receiving the instrument of ratification, Ms Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, Director of the International Labour Standards Department said: “I am particularly pleased to see another African country joining the global effort for promoting decent working and living conditions of seafarers and ensuring conditions of fair competition for shipowners. The ratification by Kenya of the MLC, 2006 represents an important commitment by the country to ensure that its seafarers enjoy the rights set out in the Convention. The Government of Kenya will now be able to continue to move forward and transpose the provisions of the Convention into national law in order to ensure that ships flying its flag are duly inspected and certified in accordance with international standards set in the Convention and that it provides effective protection for Kenyan seafarers.
The MLC, 2006 entered into force on 20 August 2013 for the first 30 member States whose ratifications were registered by 20 August 2012. The Convention will enter into force for Kenya on 31 July 2015, that is, one year after its ratification. For more background information, please visit the dedicated MLC webpage at /mlc.