INTERNAL MLC Audit Vessel Assessment (remote) - duplicate

1. The employment, engagement or work on board a ship of any person under the age of 16 shall be prohibited.
2. Night work of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited. For the purposes of this Standard, “night” shall be defined in accordance with national law and practice. It shall cover a period of at least nine hours starting no later than midnight and ending no earlier than 5 a.m.

Purpose: To ensure that all seafarers are medically fit to perform their duties at sea
1. Seafarers shall not work on a ship unless they are certified as medically fit to perform their duties. 6. Each medical certificate shall state in particular that:
(a) the hearing and sight of the seafarer concerned, and the colour vision in the case of a seafarer to be employed in capacities where fitness for the work to be performed is liable to be affected by defective colour vision, are all satisfactory; and
(b) the seafarer concerned is not suffering from any medical condition likely to be aggravated by service at sea or to render the seafarer unfit for such service or to endanger the health of other persons on board.
7. Unless a shorter period is required by reason of the specific duties to be performed by the seafarer concerned or is required under STCW:
(a) a medical certificate shall be valid for a maximum period of two years unless the seafarer is under the age of 18, in which case the maximum period of validity shall be one year;
(b) a certification of colour vision shall be valid for a maximum period of six years.
8. In urgent cases the competent authority may permit a seafarer to work without a valid medical certificate until the next port of call where the seafarer can obtain a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner, provided that:
(a) the period of such permission does not exceed three months; and
(b) the seafarer concerned is in possession of an expired medical certificate of recent date.
9. If the period of validity of a certificate expires in the course of a voyage, the certificate shall continue in force until the next port of call where the seafarer can obtain a medical certificate from a qualified medical practitioner, provided that the period shall not exceed three months.
10. The medical certificates for seafarers working on ships ordinarily engaged on international voyages must as a minimum be provided in English.

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are trained or qualified to carry out their duties on board ship
1. Seafarers shall not work on a ship unless they are trained or certified as competent or otherwise qualified to perform their duties.
2. Seafarers shall not be permitted to work on a ship unless they have successfully completed training for personal safety on board ship.
3. Training and certification in accordance with the mandatory instruments adopted by the International Maritime Organization shall be considered as meeting the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Regulation.

Seafarers must be paid at no greater than monthly intervals and in full for their work in accordance with their employment agreements

The minimum hours of rest must not be less than ten hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period, if the relevant national law relates to hours of rest, or, if the relevant national law relates to hours of work, the maximum hours of work must not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period and 72 hours in any sevenday period.Hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which must be at least six hours; the interval between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.

Ships must have a sufficient number of seafarers employed on board to ensure that ships are operated safely, efficiently and with due regard to security under all conditions, taking into account concerns about fatigue and the particular nature and conditions of voyage

Seafarers must be covered by adequate measures for the protection of their health and have access to prompt and adequate medical care, including essential dental care, whilst working on board.

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers are protected from the financial consequences of sickness, injury or death occurring in connection with their employment
1. Each Member shall adopt laws and regulations requiring that shipowners of ships that fly its flag are responsible for health protection and medical care of all seafarers working on board the ships in accordance with the following minimum standards:
(a) shipowners shall be liable to bear the costs for seafarers working on their ships in respect of sickness and injury of the seafarers occurring between the date of commencing duty and the date upon which they are deemed duly repatriated, or arising from their employment between those dates;
(b) shipowners shall provide financial security to assure compensation in the event of the death or long-term disability of seafarers due to an occupational injury, illness or hazard, as set out in national law, the seafarers’ employment agreement or collective agreement;
(c) shipowners shall be liable to defray the expense of medical care, including medical treatment and the supply of the necessary medicines and therapeutic appliances, and board and lodging away from home until the sick or injured seafarer has recovered, or until the sickness or incapacity has been declared of a permanent character; and
(d) shipowners shall be liable to pay the cost of burial expenses in the case of death occurring on board or ashore during the period of engagement.
2. National laws or regulations may limit the liability of the shipowner to defray the expense of medical care and board and lodging to a period which shall not be less than 16 weeks from the day of the injury or the commencement of the sickness.
3. Where the sickness or injury results in incapacity for work the shipowner shall be liable:
(a) to pay full wages as long as the sick or injured seafarers remain on board or until the seafarers have been repatriated in accordance with this Convention; and
(b) to pay wages in whole or in part as prescribed by national laws or regulations or as provided for in collective agreements from the time when the seafarers are repatriated or landed until their recovery or, if earlier, until they are entitled to cash benefits under the legislation of the Member concerned.
4. National laws or regulations may limit the liability of the shipowner to pay wages in whole or in part in respect of a seafarer no longer on board to a period which shall not be less than 16 weeks from the day of the injury or the commencement of the sickness.
5. National laws or regulations may exclude the shipowner from liability in respect of:
(a) injury incurred otherwise than in the service of the ship;
(b) injury or sickness due to the wilful misconduct of the sick, injured or deceased seafarer; and
(c) sickness or infirmity intentionally concealed when the engagement is entered into.
6. National laws or regulations may exempt the shipowner from liability to defray the expense of medical care and board and lodging and burial expenses in so far as such liability is assumed by the public authorities.
7. Shipowners or their representatives shall take measures for safeguarding property left on board by sick, injured or deceased seafarers and for returning it to them or to their next of kin.
Guideline B4.2 – Shipowners’ liability
1. The payment of full wages required by Standard A4.2, paragraph 3(a), may be exclusive of bonuses.
2. National laws or regulations may provide that a shipowner shall cease to be liable to bear the costs of a sick or injured seafarer from the time at which that seafarer can claim medical benefits under a scheme of compulsory sickness insurance, compulsory accident insurance or workers’ compensation for accidents.
3. National laws or regulations may provide that burial expenses paid by the shipowner shall be reimbursed by an insurance institution in cases in which funeral benefit is payable in respect of the deceased seafarer under laws or regulations relating to social insurance or workers’ compensation.

Health and safety protection and accident prevention. The working, living and training environment on ships must be safe and hygienic and conform to national laws and regulations and other measures for occupational safety and health protection and accident prevention on board ship.

Ships must have on-board procedures for the fair, effective and expeditious handling of seafarer complaints alleging breaches of the requirements of the MLC, 2006

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have access to an efficient and well-regulated seafarer recruitment and placement system
1. All seafarers shall have access to an efficient, adequate and accountable system for finding employment on board ship without charge to the seafarer.
2. Seafarer recruitment and placement services operating in a Member’s territory shall conform to the standards set out in the Code.

code requirements: (a) meet minimum standards to ensure that any accommodation for seafarers, working or living on board, or both, is safe, decent and in accordance with the relevant
provisions of this Standard; and (b) are inspected to ensure initial and ongoing compliance with those standards. 6. With respect to general requirements for accommodation:
(a) there shall be adequate headroom in all seafarer accommodation; the minimum permitted headroom in all seafarer accommodation where full and free movement is necessary shall be not less than 203 centimetres; the competent authority may permit some limited reduction in headroom in any space, or part of any space, in such accommodation where it is satisfied that such reduction:
(i) is reasonable; and
(ii) will not result in discomfort to the seafarers;
(b) the accommodation shall be adequately insulated;
(c) in ships other than passenger ships, as defined in Regulation 2(e) and (f) of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended (the “SOLAS Convention”), sleeping rooms shall be situated above the load line amidships or aft, except that in exceptional cases, where the size, type or intended service of the ship renders any other location impracticable, sleeping rooms may be located in the fore part of the ship, but in no case forward of the collision bulkhead;
(d) in passenger ships, and in special ships constructed in compliance with the IMO Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships, 1983, and subsequent versions (hereinafter called “special purpose ships”), the competent authority may, on condition that satisfactory arrangements are made for lighting and ventilation, permit the location of sleeping rooms below the load line, but in no case shall they be located immediately beneath working alleyways;
(e) there shall be no direct openings into sleeping rooms from cargo and machinery spaces or from galleys, storerooms, drying rooms or communal sanitary areas; that part of a bulkhead separating such places from sleeping rooms and external bulkheads shall be efficiently constructed of steel or other approved substance and be watertight and gas-tight;
(f) the materials used to construct internal bulkheads, panelling and sheeting, floors and joinings shall be suitable for the purpose and conducive to ensuring a healthy environment;
(g) proper lighting and sufficient drainage shall be provided; and
(h) accommodation and recreational and catering facilities shall meet the requirements in Regulation 4.3, and the related provisions in the Code, on health and safety protection and accident prevention, with respect to preventing the risk of exposure to hazardous levels of noise and vibration and other ambient factors
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering and chemicals on board ships, and to provide an acceptable occupational and onboard living environment for seafarers.
7. With respect to requirements for ventilation and heating:
(a) sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be adequately ventilated;
(b) ships, except those regularly engaged in trade where temperate climatic conditions do not require this, shall be equipped with air conditioning for seafarer accommodation, for any separate radio room and for any centralized machinery control room;
(c) all sanitary spaces shall have ventilation to the open air, independently of any other part of the accommodation; and
(d) adequate heat through an appropriate heating system shall be provided, except in ships exclusively on voyages in tropical climates.
8. With respect to requirements for lighting, subject to such special arrangements as may be permitted in passenger ships, sleeping rooms and mess rooms shall be lit by natural light and provided with adequate artificial light.
9. When sleeping accommodation on board ships is required, the following requirements for sleeping rooms apply:
(a) in ships other than passenger ships, an individual sleeping room shall be provided for each seafarer; in the case of ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage or special purpose ships, exemptions from this requirement may be granted by the competent authority after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned;
(b) separate sleeping rooms shall be provided for men and for women;
(c) sleeping rooms shall be of adequate size and properly equipped so as to ensure reasonable comfort and to facilitate tidiness;
(d) a separate berth for each seafarer shall in all circumstances be provided;
(e) the minimum inside dimensions of a berth shall be at least 198 centimetres by 80 centimetres;
(f) in single berth seafarers’ sleeping rooms the floor area shall not be less than:
(i) 4.5 square metres in ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage;
(ii) 5.5 square metres in ships of 3,000 gross tonnage or over but less than 10,000 gross tonnage;
(iii) 7 square metres in ships of 10,000 gross tonnage or over;
(g) however, in order to provide single berth sleeping rooms on ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage, passenger ships and special purpose ships, the competent authority may allow a reduced floor area;
(h) in ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage other than passenger ships and special purpose ships, sleeping rooms may be occupied by a maximum of two seafarers; the floor area of such sleeping rooms shall not be less than 7 square metres;
(i) on passenger ships and special purpose ships the floor area of sleeping rooms for seafarers not performing the duties of ships’ officers shall not be less than:
(i) 7.5 square metres in rooms accommodating two persons;
(ii) 11.5 square metres in rooms accommodating three persons;
(iii) 14.5 square metres in rooms accommodating four persons;
(j) on special purpose ships sleeping rooms may accommodate more than four persons; the floor area of such sleeping rooms shall not be less than 3.6 square metres per person;
(k) on ships other than passenger ships and special purpose ships, sleeping rooms for seafarers who perform the duties of ships’ officers, where no private sitting room or day room is provided, the floor area per person shall not be less than:
(i) 7.5 square metres in ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage;
(ii) 8.5 square metres in ships of 3,000 gross tonnage or over but less than 10,000 gross tonnage;
(iii) 10 square metres in ships of 10,000 gross tonnage or over;
(l) on passenger ships and special purpose ships the floor area for seafarers performing the duties of ships’ officers where no private sitting room or day room is provided, the floor area per person for junior officers shall not be less than 7.5 square metres and for senior officers not less than 8.5 square metres; junior officers are understood to be at the operational level, and senior officers at the management level;
(m) the master, the chief engineer and the chief navigating officer shall have, in addition to their sleeping rooms, an adjoining sitting room, day room or equivalent additional space; ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage may be exempted by the competent authority from this requirement after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned;
(n) for each occupant, the furniture shall include a clothes locker of ample space (minimum 475 litres) and a drawer or equivalent space of not less than 56 litres; if the drawer is incorporated in the clothes locker then the combined minimum volume of the clothes locker shall be 500 litres; it shall be fitted with a shelf and be able to be locked by the occupant so as to ensure privacy;
(o) each sleeping room shall be provided with a table or desk, which may be of the fixed, drop-leaf or slide-out type, and with comfortable seating accommodation as necessary.
10. With respect to requirements for mess rooms:
(a) mess rooms shall be located apart from the sleeping rooms and as close as practicable to the galley; ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage may be exempted by the competent authority from this requirement after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned; and
(b) mess rooms shall be of adequate size and comfort and properly furnished and equipped (including ongoing facilities for refreshment), taking account of the number of seafarers likely to use them at any one time; provision shall be made for separate or common mess room facilities as appropriate.
11. With respect to requirements for sanitary facilities:
(a) all seafarers shall have convenient access on the ship to sanitary facilities meeting minimum standards of health and hygiene and reasonable standards of comfort, with separate sanitary facilities being provided for men and for women;
(b) there shall be sanitary facilities within easy access of the navigating bridge and the machinery space or near the engine room control centre; ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage may be exempted by the competent authority from this requirement after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned;
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
(c) in all ships a minimum of one toilet, one wash basin and one tub or shower or both for every six persons or less who do not have personal facilities shall be provided at a convenient location;
(d) with the exception of passenger ships, each sleeping room shall be provided with
a washbasin having hot and cold running fresh water, except where such a washbasin is situated in the private bathroom provided;
(e) in passenger ships normally engaged on voyages of not more than four hours’ duration, consideration may be given by the competent authority to special arrangements or to a reduction in the number of facilities required; and
(f) hot and cold running fresh water shall be available in all wash places.
12. With respect to requirements for hospital accommodation, ships carrying 15 or more seafarers and engaged in a voyage of more than three days’ duration shall provide separate hospital accommodation to be used exclusively for medical purposes; the competent authority may relax this requirement for ships engaged in coastal trade; in approving on-board hospital accommodation, the competent authority shall ensure that the accommodation will, in all weathers, be easy of access, provide comfortable housing for the occupants and be conducive to their receiving prompt and proper
attention.
13. Appropriately situated and furnished laundry facilities shall be available.
14. All ships shall have a space or spaces on open deck to which the seafarers can have access when off duty, which are of adequate area having regard to the size of the ship and the number of seafarers on board.
15. All ships shall be provided with separate offices or a common ship’s office for use by deck and engine departments; ships of less than 3,000 gross tonnage may be exempted by the competent authority from this requirement after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned.
16. Ships regularly trading to mosquito-infested ports shall be fitted with appropriate devices as required by the competent authority.
17. Appropriate seafarers’ recreational facilities, amenities and services, as adapted to meet the special needs of seafarers who must live and work on ships, shall be provided on board for the benefit of all seafarers, taking into account Regulation
4.3 and the associated Code provisions on health and safety protection and accident prevention.
18. The competent authority shall require frequent inspections to be carried out on board ships, by or under the authority of the master, to ensure that seafarer accommodation is clean, decently habitable and maintained in a good state of repair. The results of each such inspection shall be recorded and be available for review.
19. In the case of ships where there is need to take account, without discrimination, of the interests of seafarers having differing and distinctive religious and social practices, the competent authority may, after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned, permit fairly applied variations in respect of this Standard on condition that such variations do not result in overall facilities less favourable than those which would result from the application of this Standard.
20. Each Member may, after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned, exempt ships of less than 200 gross tonnage where it is reasonable to do so, taking account of the size of the ship and the number of persons on board in relation to the requirements of the following provisions of this Standard: (a) paragraphs 7(b), 11(d) and 13; and (b) paragraph 9(f) and (h) to (l) inclusive, with respect to floor area only.
21. Any exemptions with respect to the requirements of this Standard may be made only where they are expressly permitted in this Standard and only for particular circumstances in which such exemptions can be clearly justified on strong grounds and subject to protecting the seafarers’ health and safety.
Guideline B3.1 – Accommodation and recreational facilities
Guideline B3.1.1 – Design and construction
1. External bulkheads of sleeping rooms and mess rooms should be adequately insulated. All machinery casings and all boundary bulkheads of galleys and other spaces in which heat is produced should be adequately insulated where there is a possibility of resulting heat effects in adjoining accommodation or passageways. Measures should also be taken to provide protection from heat effects of steam or hot-water service pipes or both.
2. Sleeping rooms, mess rooms, recreation rooms and alleyways in the accommodation space should be adequately insulated to prevent condensation or overheating.
3. The bulkhead surfaces and deckheads should be of material with a surface easily kept clean. No form of construction likely to harbour vermin should be used.
4. The bulkhead surfaces and deckheads in sleeping rooms and mess rooms should be capable of being easily kept clean and light in colour with a durable, nontoxic finish.
5. The decks in all seafarer accommodation should be of approved material and construction and should provide a non-slip surface impervious to damp and easily kept clean.
6. Where the floorings are made of composite materials, the joints with the sides should be profiled to avoid crevices.
Guideline B3.1.2 – Ventilation
1. The system of ventilation for sleeping rooms and mess rooms should be controlled so as to maintain the air in a satisfactory condition and to ensure a sufficiency of air movement in all conditions of weather and climate.
2. Air-conditioning systems, whether of a centralized or individual unit type, should be designed to:
(a) maintain the air at a satisfactory temperature and relative humidity as compared to outside air conditions, ensure a sufficiency of air changes in all air-conditioned spaces, take account of the particular characteristics of operations at sea and not produce excessive noises or vibrations; and
(b) facilitate easy cleaning and disinfection to prevent or control the spread of disease.
3. Power for the operation of the air conditioning and other aids to ventilation required by the preceding paragraphs of this Guideline should be available at all times
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
when seafarers are living or working on board and conditions so require. However, this power need not be provided from an emergency source.
Guideline B3.1.3 – Heating
1. The system of heating the seafarer accommodation should be in operation at all times when seafarers are living or working on board and conditions require its use.
2. In all ships in which a heating system is required, the heating should be by means of hot water, warm air, electricity, steam or equivalent. However, within the accommodation area, steam should not be used as a medium for heat transmission. The heating system should be capable of maintaining the temperature in seafarer accommodation at a satisfactory level under normal conditions of weather and climate likely to be met within the trade in which the ship is engaged. The competent authority should prescribe the standard to be provided.
3. Radiators and other heating apparatus should be placed and, where necessary, shielded so as to avoid risk of fire or danger or discomfort to the occupants.
Guideline B3.1.4 – Lighting
1. In all ships, electric light should be provided in the seafarer accommodation. If there are not two independent sources of electricity for lighting, additional lighting should be provided by properly constructed lamps or lighting apparatus for emergency use.
2. In sleeping rooms an electric reading lamp should be installed at the head of each berth.
3. Suitable standards of natural and artificial lighting should be fixed by the competent authority.
Guideline B3.1.5 – Sleeping rooms
1. There should be adequate berth arrangements on board, making it as comfortable as possible for the seafarer and any partner who may accompany the seafarer.
2. Where the size of the ship, the activity in which it is to be engaged and its layout make it reasonable and practicable, sleeping rooms should be planned and equipped with a private bathroom, including a toilet, so as to provide reasonable comfort for the occupants and to facilitate tidiness.
3. As far as practicable, sleeping rooms of seafarers should be so arranged that watches are separated and that no seafarers working during the day share a room with watchkeepers.
4. In the case of seafarers performing the duty of petty officers there should be no more than two persons per sleeping room.
5. Consideration should be given to extending the facility referred to in Standard A3.1, paragraph 9(m), to the second engineer officer when practicable.
6. Space occupied by berths and lockers, chests of drawers and seats should be included in the measurement of the floor area. Small or irregularly shaped spaces which do not add effectively to the space available for free movement and cannot be used for installing furniture should be excluded.
7. Berths should not be arranged in tiers of more than two; in the case of berths placed along the ship’s side, there should be only a single tier where a sidelight is situated above a berth.
8. The lower berth in a double tier should be not less than 30 centimetres above the floor; the upper berth should be placed approximately midway between the bottom of the lower berth and the lower side of the deckhead beams.
9. The framework and the lee-board, if any, of a berth should be of approved material, hard, smooth, and not likely to corrode or to harbour vermin.
10. If tubular frames are used for the construction of berths, they should be completely sealed and without perforations which would give access to vermin.
11. Each berth should be fitted with a comfortable mattress with cushioning bottom or a combined cushioning mattress, including a spring bottom or a spring mattress. The mattress and cushioning material used should be made of approved material. Stuffing of material likely to harbour vermin should not be used.
12. When one berth is placed over another, a dust-proof bottom should be fitted beneath the bottom mattress or spring bottom of the upper berth.
13. The furniture should be of smooth, hard material not liable to warp or corrode.
14. Sleeping rooms should be fitted with curtains or equivalent for the sidelights.
15. Sleeping rooms should be fitted with a mirror, small cabinets for toilet requisites, a book rack and a sufficient number of coat hooks.
Guideline B3.1.6 – Mess rooms
1. Mess room facilities may be either common or separate. The decision in this respect should be taken after consultation with seafarers’ and shipowners’ representatives and subject to the approval of the competent authority. Account should be taken of factors such as the size of the ship and the distinctive cultural, religious and social needs of the seafarers.
2. Where separate mess room facilities are to be provided to seafarers, then separate mess rooms should be provided for:
(a) master and officers; and
(b) petty officers and other seafarers.
3. On ships other than passenger ships, the floor area of mess rooms for seafarers should be not less than 1.5 square metres per person of the planned seating
capacity.
4. In all ships, mess rooms should be equipped with tables and appropriate seats, fixed or movable, sufficient to accommodate the greatest number of seafarers likely to use them at any one time.
5. There should be available at all times when seafarers are on board:
(a) a refrigerator, which should be conveniently situated and of sufficient capacity for the number of persons using the mess room or mess rooms;
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
(b) facilities for hot beverages; and
(c) cool water facilities.
6. Where available pantries are not accessible to mess rooms, adequate lockers for mess utensils and proper facilities for washing utensils should be provided.
7. The tops of tables and seats should be of damp-resistant material.
Guideline B3.1.7 – Sanitary accommodation
1. Washbasins and tub baths should be of adequate size and constructed of approved material with a smooth surface not liable to crack, flake or corrode.
2. All toilets should be of an approved pattern and provided with an ample flush of water or with some other suitable flushing means, such as air, which are available at all times and independently controllable.
3. Sanitary accommodation intended for the use of more than one person should comply with the following:
(a) floors should be of approved durable material, impervious to damp, and should be properly drained;
(b) bulkheads should be of steel or other approved material and should be watertight up to at least 23 centimetres above the level of the deck;
(c) the accommodation should be sufficiently lit, heated and ventilated;
(d) toilets should be situated convenient to, but separate from, sleeping rooms and wash rooms, without direct access from the sleeping rooms or from a passage
between sleeping rooms and toilets to which there is no other access; this requirement does not apply where a toilet is located in a compartment between two sleeping rooms having a total of not more than four seafarers; and
(e) where there is more than one toilet in a compartment, they should be sufficiently screened to ensure privacy.
4. The laundry facilities provided for seafarers’ use should include:
(a) washing machines;
(b) drying machines or adequately heated and ventilated drying rooms; and
(c) irons and ironing boards or their equivalent.
Guideline B3.1.8 – Hospital accommodation
1. The hospital accommodation should be designed so as to facilitate consultation and the giving of medical first aid and to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
2. The arrangement of the entrance, berths, lighting, ventilation, heating and water supply should be designed to ensure the comfort and facilitate the treatment of the occupants.
3. The number of hospital berths required should be prescribed by the competent authority.
4. Sanitary accommodation should be provided for the exclusive use of the occupants of the hospital accommodation, either as part of the accommodation or in close proximity thereto. Such sanitary accommodation should comprise a minimum of one toilet, one washbasin and one tub or shower.
Guideline B3.1.9 – Other facilities
1. Where separate facilities for engine department personnel to change their clothes are provided, they should be:
(a) located outside the machinery space but with easy access to it; and
(b) fitted with individual clothes lockers as well as with tubs or showers or both and washbasins having hot and cold running fresh water.
Guideline B3.1.10 – Bedding, mess utensils and miscellaneous provisions
1. Each Member should consider applying the following principles:
(a) clean bedding and mess utensils should be supplied by the shipowner to all seafarers for use on board during service on the ship, and such seafarers should be responsible for their return at times specified by the master and on completion of service in the ship;
(b) bedding should be of good quality, and plates, cups and other mess utensils should be of approved material which can be easily cleaned; and
(c) towels, soap and toilet paper for all seafarers should be provided by the shipowner.
Guideline B3.1.11 – Recreational facilities, mail and ship visit arrangements
1. Recreational facilities and services should be reviewed frequently to ensure that they are appropriate in the light of changes in the needs of seafarers resulting from technical, operational and other developments in the shipping industry.
2. Furnishings for recreational facilities should as a minimum include a bookcase and facilities for reading, writing and, where practicable, games.
3. In connection with the planning of recreation facilities, the competent authority should give consideration to the provision of a canteen.
4. Consideration should also be given to including the following facilities at no cost to the seafarer, where practicable:
(a) a smoking room;
(b) television viewing and the reception of radio broadcasts;
(c) showing of films, the stock of which should be adequate for the duration of the voyage and, where necessary, changed at reasonable intervals;
(d) sports equipment including exercise equipment, table games and deck games;
(e) where possible, facilities for swimming;
(f) a library containing vocational and other books, the stock of which should be adequate for the duration of the voyage and changed at reasonable intervals;
(g) facilities for recreational handicrafts;
(h) electronic equipment such as a radio, television, video recorders, DVD/CD player, personal computer and software and cassette recorder/player;
(i) where appropriate, the provision of bars on board for seafarers unless these are contrary to national, religious or social customs; and
(j) reasonable access to ship-to-shore telephone communications, and email and Internet facilities, where available, with any charges for the use of these services being reasonable in amount.
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
5. Every effort should be given to ensuring that the forwarding of seafarers’ mail is as reliable and expeditious as possible. Efforts should also be considered for avoiding seafarers being required to pay additional postage when mail has to be readdressed owing to circumstances beyond their control.
6. Measures should be considered to ensure, subject to any applicable national or international laws or regulations, that whenever possible and reasonable seafarers are expeditiously granted permission to have their partners, relatives and friends as visitors on board their ship when in port. Such measures should meet any concerns for security clearances.
7. Consideration should be given to the possibility of allowing seafarers to be accompanied by their partners on occasional voyages where this is practicable and reasonable. Such partners should carry adequate insurance cover against accident and illness; the shipowners should give every assistance to the seafarer to effect such insurance.
Guideline B3.1.12 – Prevention of noise and vibration
1. Accommodation and recreational and catering facilities should be located as far as practicable from the engines, steering gear rooms, deck winches, ventilation, heating and air-conditioning equipment and other noisy machinery and apparatus.
2. Acoustic insulation or other appropriate sound-absorbing materials should be used in the construction and finishing of bulkheads, deckheads and decks within the sound-producing spaces as well as self-closing noise-isolating doors for machinery spaces.
3. Engine rooms and other machinery spaces should be provided, wherever practicable, with soundproof centralized control rooms for engine-room personnel. Working spaces, such as the machine shop, should be insulated, as far as practicable, from the general engine-room noise and measures should be taken to reduce noise in the operation of machinery.
4. The limits for noise levels for working and living spaces should be in conformity with the ILO international guidelines on exposure levels, including those in the ILO code of practice entitled Ambient factors in the workplace, 2001, and, where applicable, the specific protection recommended by the International Maritime Organization, and with any subsequent amending and supplementary instruments for acceptable noise levels on board ships. A copy of the applicable instruments in English or the working language of the ship should be carried on board and should be accessible to seafarers.
5. No accommodation or recreational or catering facilities should be exposed to excessive vibration.

Purpose: To ensure that seafarers have access to good quality food and drinking water provided under regulated hygienic conditions
1. Each Member shall ensure that ships that fly its flag carry on board and serve food and drinking water of appropriate quality, nutritional value and quantity that adequately covers the requirements of the ship and takes into account the differing cultural and religious backgrounds.
2. Seafarers on board a ship shall be provided with food free of charge during the period of engagement.
3. Seafarers employed as ships’ cooks with responsibility for food preparation must be trained and qualified for their position on board ship.
Standard A3.2 – Food and catering
1. Each Member shall adopt laws and regulations or other measures to provide minimum standards for the quantity and quality of food and drinking water and for the catering standards that apply to meals provided to seafarers on ships that fly its flag, and shall undertake educational activities to promote awareness and implementation
of the standards referred to in this paragraph.
2. Each Member shall ensure that ships that fly its flag meet the following minimum standards:
(a) food and drinking water supplies, having regard to the number of seafarers on board, their religious requirements and cultural practices as they pertain to food, and the duration and nature of the voyage, shall be suitable in respect of quantity, nutritional value, quality and variety;
(b) the organization and equipment of the catering department shall be such as to permit the provision to the seafarers of adequate, varied and nutritious meals prepared and served in hygienic conditions; and
(c) catering staff shall be properly trained or instructed for their positions.
3. Shipowners shall ensure that seafarers who are engaged as ships’ cooks are trained, qualified and found competent for the position in accordance with requirements set out in the laws and regulations of the Member concerned.
4. The requirements under paragraph 3 of this Standard shall include a completion of a training course approved or recognized by the competent authority, which covers practical cookery, food and personal hygiene, food storage, stock control, and environmental protection and catering health and safety.
5. On ships operating with a prescribed manning of less than ten which, by virtue of the size of the crew or the trading pattern, may not be required by the competent authority to carry a fully qualified cook, anyone processing food in the galley shall be trained or instructed in areas including food and personal hygiene as well as handling and storage of food on board ship.
6. In circumstances of exceptional necessity, the competent authority may issue a dispensation permitting a non-fully qualified cook to serve in a specified ship for a specified limited period, until the next convenient port of call or for a period not exceeding one month, provided that the person to whom the dispensation is issued is trained or instructed in areas including food and personal hygiene as well as handling and storage of food on board ship.
7. In accordance with the ongoing compliance procedures under Title 5, the competent authority shall require that frequent documented inspections be carried out on board ships, by or under the authority of the master, with respect to:
Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
(a) supplies of food and drinking water;
(b) all spaces and equipment used for the storage and handling of food and drinking water; and
(c) galley and other equipment for the preparation and service of meals.
8. No seafarer under the age of 18 shall be employed or engaged or work as a ship’s cook.
Guideline B3.2 – Food and catering
Guideline B3.2.1 – Inspection, education, research and publication
1. The competent authority should, in cooperation with other relevant agencies and organizations, collect up-to-date information on nutrition and on methods of purchasing, storing, preserving, cooking and serving food, with special reference to the requirements of catering on board a ship. This information should be made available, free of charge or at reasonable cost, to manufacturers of and traders in ships’ food supplies and equipment, masters, stewards and cooks, and to shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned. Appropriate forms of publicity, such as manuals, brochures, posters, charts or advertisements in trade journals, should be used for this purpose.
2. The competent authority should issue recommendations to avoid wastage of food, facilitate the maintenance of a proper standard of hygiene, and ensure the maximum practicable convenience in working arrangements.
3. The competent authority should work with relevant agencies and organizations to develop educational materials and on-board information concerning methods of ensuring proper food supply and catering services.
4. The competent authority should work in close cooperation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned and with national or local authorities dealing with questions of food and health, and may where necessary utilize the services of such authorities.
Guideline B3.2.2 – Ships’ cooks
1. Seafarers should only be qualified as ships’ cooks if they have:
(a) served at sea for a minimum period to be prescribed by the competent authority, which could be varied to take into account existing relevant qualifications or experience;
(b) passed an examination prescribed by the competent authority or passed an equivalent examination at an approved training course for cooks.
2. The prescribed examination may be conducted and certificates granted either directly by the competent authority or, subject to its control, by an approved school for the training of cooks.
3. The competent authority should provide for the recognition, where appropriate, of certificates of qualification as ships’ cooks issued by other Members, which have ratified this Convention or the Certification of Ships’ Cooks Convention, 1946 (No. 69), or other approved body.