IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MLC 2006 CONVENTIONEffects on the development of regulation in the European Union and on vessel inspections under the port state control (PSC) system.

Resumen

The International Maritime Labour Convention, known by the initials MLC,2006, was approved almost unanimously in 2006. Signed on 7 February of that year, it is the fruit of five years work by the International Labour Organisation, together with its interlocutors such as the ITF and associations of ship owners. Its object is to improve the employment situation that had been established by the old C147 of Minimum Standards for the Merchant Marine. Considered historic by the ILO's Director-General himself, this Convention would enter into force twelve months after the date on which it would have been ratified by at least 30 Members that together account for at least 33% of the total gross tonnage of the world merchant fleet. These conditions were met in August 2012 and the provisions of the Convention began to be applied from 20 August 2013. The MLC,2006 has faced a series of initial problems with regard to its implementation at the level of the Flag State, especially because of the heterogeneous nature and reduced level of development in the countries that have ratified the Convention. Hence some of the initial expectations for improvement have had to be drastically reduced. In this communication the aim is to study comparatively this implementation at the national and European Union levels, and the repercussions at the level of the Port State Control, specifically in the controls being executed through the mechanisms established within the Paris Memorandum.