Entry into force of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) (No.2)  23 May 2013 No.13-001 Download PDF (171KB) Members are referred to the previous circular No. 12-030 dated 6 March 2013 on the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). The imminent entry into force of the MLC has brought the Convention and its requirements on shipowners into focus and in particular the financial security requirements established in the Convention.  By way of clarification and for Members’ guidance, the financial security requirements on shipowners set out below will become effective with the entry into force of the MLC on 20 August 2013. Financial Security Requirements on Shipowners Standard A2.5 – Repatriation This Standard and accompanying Guidelines provide that seafarers must be repatriated at no cost to themselves; outlines the circumstances in which seafarers are entitled to repatriation, and requires that shipowners shall provide financial security for the liabilities established in the Standard.  Members will be aware that, in order to assist in complying with these financial security requirements, all 13 International Group (IG) Clubs have agreed to extend the scope of standard P&I cover to include repatriation in cases of insolvency and in the other circumstances listed in the MLC where seafarers are entitled to repatriation. This Standard does not include a provision concerning outstanding unpaid wages. Liability for unpaid wages following abandonment is a feature of the principles agreed in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2009, but these principles are not applicable at this stage and there is no requirement in the MLC to provide financial security by way of insurance cover for unpaid wages. The ILO principles are subject to further discussion and negotiation, and to take this forward ILO has scheduled a meeting for April 2014. It will then take several years for the principles to be considered and finalised in ILO, and then implemented in St