Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention)

Suppliment tal-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta’ Malta Nru. 21,386, 4 ta’ Frar, 2025

L.N. 26 of 2025

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT

(CAP. 234)

Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention)

(Amendment) Rules, 2025

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by articles 90, 106, 108,

122C, 148, 149, 152, 153, 154, 163, 168A and 374 of the Merchant

Shipping Act, the Minister responsible for shipping has made the

following regulations:-

The title of these rules is the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Citation.

Labour Convention) (Amendment) Rules, 2025 and these rules shall

be read and construed as one with the Merchant Shipping (Maritime S.L. 234.51.

Labour Convention) Rules, hereinafter referred to as the "principal

Immediately after rule 19 of the principal rules there shall be Adds new rule

added the following new rule

Shipowners and, or recruitment and placement

services shall ensure that there is in place a system of

protection, by way of insurance or an equivalent

appropriate measure, to compensate seafarers for monetary

loss that they may incur as a result of the failure of a

recruitment and placement service or the relevant

shipowners obligations under the seafarers’ employment

agreement, and shall ensure that seafarers are informed,

prior to or in the process of engagement, of their rights

under that system.".

3. Rule 54 of the principal rules shall be substituted by the Substitution of

following new rule

54. The right to wages shall not depend on the

"Wages not to

earning of freight, and every seafarer shall be entitled to

demand and recover any wages notwithstanding that

freight has not been earned.".

4. Immediately after sub-rule (2) of rule 107 of the principal Amends rule

rules there shall be added the following new rule

"(3) The organisation and equipment of the catering

department shall be such as to permit the provision to the

seafarers of adequate, varied, balanced and nutritious meals

prepared and served in hygienic conditions.".

5. Immediately after rule 117 of the principal rules there shall

be added the following new rules

117A. Reasonable precautions shall be taken to

prevent occupational accidents, injuries and diseases

onboard the ship, including through the provision of all

necessary

appropriately-sized

personal

protective

equipment and measures to reduce and prevent the risk of

exposure to harmful levels of ambient factors and

chemicals, as well as the risk of injury or disease that may

arise from the use of equipment and machinery onboard the

ship.

117B. Shipowners are obliged to adequately

investigate, record and report all deaths of seafarers

employed, engaged or working onboard Maltese flagged

ships to the competent authority.".

6. The Fourth Schedule to the principal rules shall be amended

as follows

(a) item 10.3 thereof shall be substituted by the following

new item

"10.3 Appropriate seafarers’ recreational facilities,

amenities and services, including social connectivity, as

adapted to meet the special needs of seafarers who are

required to live and work on ships, shall be provided on

board for the benefit of all seafarers, taking into account the

related provisions on health and safety protection and

accident prevention."; and

(b)

Appendix X thereof shall be amended as follows

(i) paragraph (j) of item 3 thereof shall be

substituted by the following new paragraph

"(j) reasonable access to ship-to-shore

telephone communications, where available, with any

charges for the use of these services being reasonable

in amount."; and

(ii) immediately after item 4 thereof there shall be

added the following new item

"5.

Shipowners shall, so far as is reasonably

practicable, provide seafarers onboard their ships

with internet access, with charges, if any, being

reasonable in amount.".

€0.18