A30. Is the MLC, 2006 relevant for owners or operators of ships registered in a country that has not ratified the MLC, 2006?

The MLC, 2006 requirements do not directly apply to shipowners or to ships flying the flag of countries that have not ratified the Convention. However, Article V, paragraph 7 of the MLC, 2006 contains what is often called the “no more favourable treatment clause” [see A4.]. It seeks to ensure a “level playing field” under which the ships flying the flag of countries that have ratified the Convention will not be placed at a competitive disadvantage as compared with ships flying the flag of countries that have not ratified the MLC, 2006. Although it appears that Article V, paragraph 7, could conceivably apply in various situations, in practice it relates essentially to the context of PSC under Regulation 5.2.1, with respect to ships flying a foreign flag and calling at a port of a ratifying country [see C5.3].

General questions about the MLC, 2006