MLC, Contracts & What You're Actually Insured For

You signed in five minutes at the manning office. The Master asked for a copy on joining. Six months later the wages stop — or a family needs a death claim — and nobody can find a clear SEA, a CBA page, overtime sheets, or a named next of kin (NOK).

This guide is for marine crew under MLC: what a Seafarers’ Employment Agreement (SEA) must contain, what a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) adds, how overtime is paid or buried in “all-in” offers, what death and disability money looks like on ITF-style agreements, why NOK matters, why a contract copy stays with the Master, how unpaid wages and complaints work, and what the financial security certificates on the bridge wall really cover.

SEA — The Contract MLC Actually Requires

Under MLC Regulation 2.1 / Standard A2.1, every seafarer on an MLC ship needs a written Seafarers’ Employment Agreement signed by the seafarer and the shipowner (or authorised representative). See ILO MLC Title 2 and UK practice in MGN 477 Amendment 5.

You must have a chance to read it and seek advice before signing. You and the shipowner each keep a signed original. Clear employment information — including a copy of the SEA — must be obtainable on board by seafarers, including the Master, and available to flag / port State inspectors.

Minimum SEA content (Standard A2.1.4 — know these lines exist):

• Seafarer’s full name, date of birth, birthplace
• Shipowner’s name and address
• Place and date of agreement
• Capacity / rank
• Wages (or how they are calculated)
• Paid annual leave / calculation
• Termination terms (notice for shipowner and seafarer)
• Health / social security benefits provided by the shipowner
• Repatriation entitlement
• Reference to the collective agreement, if any

Practical rule: if the agency only gives a one-page “offer letter,” ask for the full SEA and any CBA it incorporates. Photograph every page after signing. Keep a cloud copy and a paper copy in your bag.

Why a Copy Sits with the Master

This is not “nice to have.”

MLC Standard A2.1 requires that information on conditions of employment — including a copy of the SEA — can be obtained on board by seafarers including the ship’s master, and reviewed by competent authorities in ports. Where a CBA forms part of the SEA, a copy of that CBA must also be available on board (English translation of the relevant parts if the CBA is not in English, for international voyages).

UK implementing rules go further: the Master must produce SEA copies on demand to authorities (Merchant Shipping (MLC) Minimum Requirements Regulations 2014, regs 12–14; MGN 477).

On joining: expect the office / Master to file your SEA. If they say “we don’t keep contracts on board,” that is a red flag for MLC compliance — and for you when wages or claims go wrong. Electronic copies on board are often accepted if printable on demand — but you should still hold your own signed original.

Collective Agreement (CBA) — What It Is

A collective bargaining agreement is a deal between a union (often ITF-affiliated) and a shipowner / employers’ group. Your SEA can say terms of an ITF TCC or IBF agreement apply — then the CBA is your pay scale, overtime rules, death/disability tables, and dispute path.

Before you fly, check the ship: ITF Look Up or lookup.itfglobal.org. Covered ships show agreement type, company, union, start/end dates.

Offshore day-rate / client contracts are often not classic MLC SEA+CBA packages — company HSE contracts for client crew. This article focuses on ship’s articles / MLC seafarers.

Read the Contract — Checklist Before You Fly

1. Who is the shipowner on the SEA? Manning agent signing as “employer only” can be messy — know who pays wages and who is liable.
2. Wage figure vs overtime. Basic + OT vs consolidated “all-in.” Compare to ITF totals if the ship is Look Up–covered.
3. Overtime model — OT rate, guaranteed hours, who signs the OT book, what counts as non-payable emergency work (see below).
4. Contract length and early termination / notice.
5. Repatriation — who pays tickets, when you can leave.
6. Sick pay / medical care while employed.
7. Death & disability — table or CBA reference? Named beneficiary / NOK?
8. Complaint procedure copy — you are entitled to it with the SEA (MLC A5.1.5).
9. Governing law / jurisdiction — where disputes go.
10. Deductions — food, bond, “agency fee” (placement fees to seafarers are heavily restricted under MLC recruitment rules).

If anything is blank, “to be advised,” or only verbal — do not leave for the airport.

Overtime — Where the Money Hides (or Disappears)

Wages on the SEA are only half the story. Overtime is where FOC and ITF ships diverge — and where “all-in” offers hide unpaid hours.

MLC frame

• Normal hours are based on an 8-hour day with weekly rest (Reg 2.3; ITF — your rights under the MLC).
• Hard limits (flag chooses work-max or rest-min): max 14 h / 24 h and 72 h / 7 days, or min rest 10 h / 24 h and 77 h / 7 days.
• Rest in no more than two periods; one period at least 6 hours.
• Master may suspend the schedule for emergencies / persons in peril — that work often does not count for OT pay under CBAs.

Published ITF Uniform TCC CBA 2026–2027 (Art. 6) is a concrete example: OT above eight hours at 1.25×, ≥103 guaranteed OT hours monthly, individual duplicate records, seafarer may request a printed copy anytime. If no OT records are kept as required, a lump-sum OT claim (e.g. 160 hours at the OT rate) can apply — without killing further claims for excess hours.

Records habit: endorse OT / hours records at least monthly. Photograph signed sheets with your wage account. Verbal “we’ll sort it later” is how backpay dies.

Offshore day-rate note: many client / OSV day-rate contracts are all-in with no classic merchant OT. Still read whether weekend/port stays and extra watches are included. Related: Maritime Salary Guide 2026.

NOK — Next of Kin

NOK / nominated beneficiary is the person the company (and often the CBA) will contact and pay if you die or become incapacitated.

On ITF-style CBAs, death-in-service money goes to the nominated beneficiary, plus amounts for dependent children (typically up to four under 18). If no nominee is named, payment goes to whoever administers your estate under law — slower, messier, sometimes contested by relatives.

• Name NOK / beneficiary in writing on the company form and keep a photo.
• Update after marriage, divorce, or new children.
• Tell your NOK: ship name, IMO, company, manning agent, and where your SEA/CBA PDFs live.
• Give NOK the ITF support contacts below — families often call first.

NOK is not only for death. Serious injury, disappearance, and medevac decisions often start with the Master calling the named contact.

Death & Disability — What “Insured” Often Means

A) Contractual / CBA amounts

Example from published ITF Uniform TCC CBA 2026–2027:

• Death in service (incl. natural causes and travel to/from vessel in many cases): USD 120,369 to nominated beneficiary + child amounts in the annex (max four under 18).
• Permanent disability from accident: compensation scaled by degree of disability; 100% band in the same annex is USD 120,369 (higher bands exist for some grades). Assessed ≥50% (or permanently unfit for further sea service) can trigger 100% compensation under the CBA rules.
• Body repatriation / burial costs: company responsibility under the article where practical / at family’s request.

Your CBA may differ (IBF, company CBA, POEA-SEC for Filipinos, etc.). Always open the annex attached to your agreement.

B) MLC financial security certificates (on the wall)

Since 2017 amendments, MLC ships must carry and display evidence of financial security for:

1. Abandonment (Standard A2.5.2) — repatriation, food/accommodation/essential needs, and up to four months outstanding wages when abandoned (including unpaid wages for ≥2 months as a trigger of abandonment).
2. Death or long-term disability contractual claims (Standard A4.2) — security that contractual amounts in the SEA/CBA can be paid.

Certificates are usually from a P&I club, posted conspicuously with ship name, IMO, provider contact, validity (see IG / club FAQs).

Important: abandonment wage security is not the same as “company forgot one month’s pay while still trading.” Ordinary unpaid wages without abandonment → Regulation 2.2, complaint procedure, ITF, flag/PSC.

Unpaid Wages — Act Early

MLC Regulation 2.2: wages paid in full and regularly, at least monthly, with a monthly account of amounts due and paid.

ITF: most inspector cases are wage theft; in 2024 inspectors recovered USD 58.1 million in owed wages (ITF — withholding pay).

1. Do not wait nine months. Two months unpaid is already crisis territory.
2. Collect evidence: SEA, CBA pages, wage accounts, overtime records, bank statements, emails/WhatsApp.
3. Talk to crew — joint claims are stronger.
4. Contact ITF early: nearest inspector via Look Up or seafsupport@itf.org.uk · WhatsApp/Viber/SMS +44 7523 515097 (If wages have not been paid; contact).
5. Use the on-board complaint procedure in parallel — keep written records.
6. If abandoned (no food, no repatriation, ≥2 months unpaid + severed ties): use contacts on the posted financial security certificate.

Complaint Procedure — On Board → Outside

MLC Regulation 5.1.5 / Standard A5.1.5 — every ship must have an on-board complaint procedure. You must receive a copy with your SEA. It must include flag State contacts, a person on board for confidential advice, right to be accompanied, protection against victimisation, and the right to complain directly to the Master and, where necessary, to external authorities.

Typical ladder (UK example MSN 1849 Amendment 1):

1. Head of department / superior officer
2. Master (personally)
3. Shipowner / company
4. Flag State (e.g. UK: mlc@mcga.gov.uk)
5. Port State onshore complaint if unresolved in port (MLC titles guidance)

Write everything: date, what you asked, who replied. Verbal-only complaints evaporate. Victimisation for non-malicious complaints is itself an MLC issue — document it.

Flag State — When to Escalate

The flag is responsible for MLC on its ships (Title 5). If on-board process fails or you fear victimisation, use the flag contact on the complaint leaflet. Open registries publish MLC complaint channels on their sites — send IMO number + ship name + SEA. Port State control can inspect missing SEA copies, unpaid wages, and missing financial security certificates while the ship is in port.

Parallel track with ITF is normal: inspector pressure + flag complaint + PSC.

ITF Help — What They Can and Cannot Do

Can: look up agreement coverage; board many ships; check wage and OT accounts; help recover backpay; advise on CBA death/disability claims; connect you to affiliated unions; support families.

Cannot: rewrite a signed contract into a better CBA; pay you if the owner has vanished and security is exhausted; make a wildcat strike legal in every country (ask local inspector before industrial action).

• Ship / inspector Look Up
• Email seafsupport@itf.org.uk
• If wages have not been paid

What You’re Actually Insured For

Company P&I backs shipowner liabilities under MLC/CBA — you still need the right documents and a named beneficiary.

Field Habits That Save Careers

1. Never start travelling from home without a signed SEA (and CBA if referenced).
2. Give the Master / ship’s office their copy on joining — insist it is filed.
3. Photograph SEA, CBA wage and overtime scale, death/disability annex, complaint leaflet, financial security certificates.
4. Name and update NOK.
5. Check ITF Look Up before you fly and again after joining.
6. Endorse OT sheets monthly; at first missed wage, start the paper trail the same week.

Related: ENG1 / OEUK medicals · Job scams · Salary guide.

FAQ

Is the manning agency the shipowner?

Not always. The SEA must identify the shipowner (or authorised representative). Know who pays and who is liable.

Do I need the CBA on board if it is “incorporated”?

Yes — MLC requires the CBA (or relevant parts / English extract) available on board when it forms part of the SEA.

Basic + OT or all-in — which is better?

Neither automatically. All-in can be fair if hours are defined and the total beats basic+OT on a Look Up ship. Undefined all-in with no OT records is where unpaid hours hide.

Who gets death money if I did not name NOK?

Usually the legal estate administrator — slower and more dispute-prone. Name a beneficiary before you fly.

Can I complain to the flag without telling the Master?

MLC allows complaint to external authorities where you consider it necessary. Document everything; contact ITF if you fear victimisation.

Does financial security pay any late wage?

Abandonment security is for defined abandonment (incl. ≥2 months unpaid with severed support). Ordinary late pay while the company still operates is mainly SEA / MLC 2.2 + complaint / ITF / flag.

The Bottom Line

1. Do not leave home without a signed SEA (and CBA if referenced) — keep a copy for the Master on joining.
2. If a CBA is incorporated — get it; check wage, overtime, and death/disability annexes.
3. Name NOK like your family’s money depends on it — it does.
4. Know the complaint ladder and endorse OT sheets monthly.
5. Unpaid wages: act early, evidence first, ITF + flag in parallel.
6. Look at the financial security certificates on the wall — that is part of what you are “insured” for under MLC.

Your CoC proves skill. Your SEA + CBA + OT records + NOK prove what happens when skill is not enough. Filter CrewBase jobs — and read the contract before you leave home to join.