Superyacht Guide Crew
Superyacht Crew Welfare and Working Conditions
Crew welfare is not simply a question of comfort. For ships within the Maritime Labour Convention's scope, working and living conditions are addressed through standards covering rest, accommodation, medical care, health and safety, welfare and complaint procedures.
First establish whether the MLC applies
The MLC generally applies to ships, whether publicly or privately owned, that are ordinarily engaged in commercial activities. It should not be described as automatically applying to every yacht in private non-commercial use.
Flag administrations implement the Convention through national law and can make formal determinations about its application. Crew should therefore identify the yacht's flag and commercial status before treating a particular MLC rule as directly applicable.
Hours of rest
Under the MLC minimum-rest regime, rest is not to be less than ten hours in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any seven-day period. Hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which is at least six hours.
The interval between consecutive rest periods is not to exceed 14 hours. These limits exist because fatigue is a safety and health issue, not merely a scheduling preference.
Accommodation and life on board
MLC Regulation 3.1 requires ships within scope to provide and maintain decent accommodation and recreational facilities consistent with seafarer health and wellbeing. Detailed requirements are implemented through the Convention's Code and national rules.
A luxury guest environment does not by itself prove that crew accommodation meets every applicable labour standard. Crew spaces and living arrangements must be considered in their own regulatory context.
Medical care and shore welfare
MLC Title 4 requires measures for health protection and prompt, adequate medical care for seafarers where the Convention applies. The framework also addresses access to shore-based welfare facilities and services.
Medical fitness before joining and medical care while serving are related but separate issues. A valid medical certificate establishes fitness for service, while onboard and shore medical-care duties concern protection during employment.
Violence, harassment and the 2026 STCW change
The STCW PSSR competence standard changed on 1 January 2026 to include prevention of and response to violence and harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying and sexual assault. This is already an in-force training change.
The change should not be confused with the separate 2025 amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention. Those MLC amendments have been approved but are not expected to enter into force until 23 December 2027.
The 2025 MLC amendments are not yet current obligations
The ILO approved further MLC amendments in June 2025 after the Fifth Meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee. The formal disagreement period runs to 23 June 2027 and the amendments are expected to enter into force on 23 December 2027.
Superyacht Guide therefore records those changes as forthcoming rather than presenting them as current law in August 2026. This page should be reviewed again when their legal status changes.
Related Crew reading
Primary sources
The regulatory references below are official primary sources used for this guide.
- International Labour Organization — Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 — scope
- International Labour Organization — MLC Regulations 2.2 and 2.3 — Wages and hours of work/rest
- International Labour Organization — MLC Regulation 3.1 — Accommodation and recreational facilities
- International Labour Organization — MLC Title 4 — Health protection, medical care and welfare
- UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency — Seafarer medical certificates
- UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency — MGN 718: 2026 IMO Amendment to PSSR
- International Labour Organization — Fifth Meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee of the MLC
- International Labour Organization — Frequently Asked Questions about the Maritime Labour Convention — 6th edition, 2026