INTERCARGO Welcomes ILO Recognition of Seafarers as Key Workers

The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) welcomes the recent decision at the International Labour Organization (ILO) to officially recognize seafarers as key workers under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC).

This outcome represents a significant step in ensuring fair treatment, safeguarding seafarers' rights, and strengthening their access to medical care, mobility, and legal protections.

“This recognition of seafarers as key workers by the ILO is both symbolic and substantive—a major win for the maritime community and a direct response to the urgent calls we and others made throughout the COVID-19 crisis,” said John Xylas, Chairman of INTERCARGO. “It is an acknowledgment of the essential role played by seafarers in global trade and the sacrifices they make daily. It is also a reminder that governments must now act to implement and enforce these changes at national level.”

Throughout the pandemic, INTERCARGO was vocal in urging states and the IMO to treat seafarers as essential workers, demanding safe crew changes, prioritized vaccinations, and international collaboration. That experience has only deepened the sector’s resolve to prevent the recurrence of such hardship.

INTERCARGO also welcomes the new reference within the MLC to guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers in cases of detention,