IMO Adopts Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers

The third meeting of the Joint ILO-IMO Tripartite Working Group took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 26-28. During this meeting, the group adopted Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes. These guidelines aim to ensure that the human rights and legitimate interests of seafarers involved in alleged crimes are respected. They also emphasize that seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes should be treated fairly by public authorities and that any investigation or detention should be in accordance with the laws of the port or coastal States.

The Guidelines provide guidance for various stakeholders, including port States, flag States, coastal States, States of which the seafarer is a national, shipowners, and seafarers themselves. The next step for these Guidelines is to be presented to the IMO Legal Committee during its next session in March 2025 for adoption. Additionally, they will also be forwarded to the ILO Governing Body for further consideration.

In addition to the Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes, the ILO and IMO have previously developed and adopted other guidelines related to seafarers’ welfare. These include Guidelines for port State and flag State authorities on dealing with seafarer abandonment cases (adopted in 2022/2023), Guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident (adopted in 2006), Guidelines on Shipowners’ Responsibilities in respect of contractual claims for personal injury to or death of seafarers (adopted in 2001), and Guidelines on provision of financial security in case of abandonment of seafarers (adopted in 2001).

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