This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ between countries, and more than one country’s law can apply to you at once. If you have a specific problem, get advice from your union, a seafarers’ welfare organisation or a lawyer.
Which rules apply to you
Seafarers often work under the rules of several countries at once. Which ones apply depends on:
- The flag
- the country the ship is registered in. Its law usually applies on board.
- Your employer
- where your employer or manning agency is based
- Your contract
- which law your contract or collective agreement says applies
Your nationality and where you live can matter too, for example for social security or recruitment rules. If you’re not sure which law applies, ask your union or a seafarers’ welfare organisation.
International protections
The Maritime Labour Convention
The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) is sometimes called the “seafarers’ bill of rights”. More than 100 countries have ratified it, covering most of the world’s merchant fleet. It applies on ships flagged in those countries, and it includes:
- the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation, as a fundamental right
- fair terms of employment and a signed employment agreement
- limits on hours of work and minimum hours of rest
- health protection, medical care and welfare
- an on-board complaint procedure, and the right to complain ashore in a port
The MLC protects your right to complain without being victimised.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Most countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Article 27 says disabled people have the right to work on an equal basis with others, and that employers should provide reasonable accommodation: changes that remove barriers, as long as they don’t impose a disproportionate burden.
Many neurodivergent people are protected as disabled people under these laws, even if they don’t think of themselves as disabled.
National equality laws
Most countries have laws against disability discrimination at work. How they define disability, and how they apply to seafarers, varies. Some examples:
| Country or region | Main law |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Equality Act 2010 (Great Britain); Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland) |
| European Union | Employment Equality Directive 2000/78/EC, put into law by each member state |
| United States | Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 |
| Canada | Canadian Human Rights Act, which covers federally regulated industries, including shipping |
| Australia | Disability Discrimination Act 1992 |
| India | Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, which names autism and specific learning disabilities |
| Philippines | Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (Republic Act 7277, as amended) |
Coverage at sea can depend on where the ship is registered and where you work, so check how your country’s law applies to seafarers. Common features are:
- A diagnosis isn’t always required. Many laws look at how a condition affects you, not whether it has been formally diagnosed. A diagnosis can still help show you’re covered.
- Protection throughout employment: recruitment, terms and conditions, training, promotion, discipline and dismissal.
- A duty to make adjustments once the employer knows, or should reasonably know, that you need them.
What discrimination can look like
Type of discrimination
- Direct discrimination: being treated worse because of disability
- Unfavourable treatment because of something linked to your disability
- Indirect discrimination: a rule that disadvantages disabled people
- Harassment
- Victimisation
Example at sea
- Not being offered a contract after disclosing you’re autistic
- A warning for needing more time on paperwork because of dyslexia
- A timed psychometric test for all candidates, with no adjustments
- Crewmates mocking your tics or stims
- Being moved to a worse rotation after raising a complaint
The exact names and tests differ between countries, but most equality laws recognise these kinds of treatment.
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments, also called reasonable accommodations, are changes that remove the barriers you face because of your condition. What counts as “reasonable” usually depends on how effective the change would be, how practical it is, its cost, and the employer’s resources. In most countries you can’t be charged for them.
Examples that often work at sea
- written instructions as well as spoken ones
- notice of changes to rotations, ships or watch patterns
- noise-reducing ear defenders where safe
- extra time for exams, assessments and paperwork
- regular, structured check-ins with a named person
- staying with the same ship or crew where possible
- detailed joining instructions
Use our adjustment builder to put together a clear, written request.
Health questions and your medical
In some countries, employers can’t ask about your health or disability before offering you a job, except to arrange adjustments for the recruitment process. Seafarer medical fitness is assessed separately, through your medical certificate, and there you must answer honestly. See our guide to medical fitness.
If something goes wrong
Talk informally
If you feel safe to, raise it with your line manager, the Master, HR or a trusted senior officer. Many problems are solved quickly this way.
Keep records
Write down what happened, when, and who was involved. Keep copies of emails, messages and any agreed adjustments.
Use the complaint procedure
Use your employer's grievance procedure, or the ship's on-board complaint procedure under the MLC. You can also complain to the authorities in a port.
Get advice
Contact your union, an ITF inspector, a seafarers' welfare organisation such as SeafarerHelp, or a lawyer in the relevant country.
Check the time limit
Deadlines for legal claims vary by country and can be short. For example, about three months in the UK, and 180 or 300 days for a US EEOC charge. Don't wait.