C1.3.c. Are countries still bound by the Certification of Able Seamen Convention, 1946 (No. 74)?

Regulation 1.3, paragraph 4 of the MLC, 2006 provides that, obligations under ILO Convention No. 74 are to be replaced once “mandatory provisions covering its subject matter have been adopted by the International Maritime Organization”. Such provisions have now been adopted as part of the STCW 2010 “Manila Amendments”. Countries that have ratified the MLC, 2006 are no longer bound by Convention No. 74 as it is a Convention revised by the MLC, 2006. Countries that have ratified Convention No. 74 but have not ratified the MLC, 2006 are still bound by Convention No. 74, in addition to any obligations they may have under the STCW [see C1.3.d.]. However, the Governing Body of the ILO has placed the abrogation of Convention No. 74 on the agenda of the International Labour Conference of 2020. After abrogation, no country will be bound by this Convention.

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