Why this standard
Reasonable adjustments are often small, cheap changes, such as written instructions alongside spoken ones, predictable routines or a quieter cabin, that let neurodivergent seafarers do their best work. Yet at sea they are rarely agreed in any systematic way. Crews change, contracts end and ships rotate, so an adjustment agreed with one Master is easily lost on the next vessel, and seafarers are left to explain themselves again and again.
NDAS 002 sets out a practical framework for agreeing, recording and reviewing reasonable adjustments for seafarers, from joining a ship to signing off.
Proposed scope
The draft is expected to cover:
- Asking for adjustments: a simple, confidential route for seafarers to raise what would help, with or without a formal diagnosis.
- Agreeing them: who decides, how quickly, and how to balance adjustments with safety-critical duties.
- Recording them: a short, portable record the seafarer controls, shared only with their consent, so that adjustments travel between ships and contracts.
- Handover between crews: how agreed adjustments are passed on when the Master, officers or vessel change.
- Reviewing them: checking regularly that adjustments still work, and changing them when they don’t.
It is intended to fit within existing safety management systems and the Maritime Labour Convention’s requirements for fair treatment and welfare on board.
How it is being developed
NDAS 002 is being written with seafarers, ship managers, Masters and specialists, and will be open to public consultation before it is published. It sits alongside the legal and regulatory frameworks that already apply, and never replaces them.
Using it now
Our guide to reasonable adjustments for employers sets out adjustments that work on board today, and seafarers can use our free adjustment builder and working passport to record what helps them.
Status
This standard is in development. The full text will be published here, with a downloadable PDF, once it has been through consultation.