Notice on accommodations, recreational facilities, food, catering, and water issued by the Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator has issued a marine notice regarding accommodations, recreational facilities, food, catering, and water.

This marine notice was published on February 21st, 2023, and is addressed to all owners, operators, masters and officers of merchant ships, and recognized organizations.

It supersedes notice Rev. Jun/2016.

Purpose

This Notice establishes the minimum standards for living conditions and arrangements on board every Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) flag ship to which the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) applies.

Section 15.0 has been amended to clarify the RMI Maritime Administrator (the “Administrator”) requirements for cooks and Administrator policy with respect to listing them on the SOLAS Minimum Safe Manning Certificate (MSMC).

In addition, MLC, 2006 amendments on food and catering that enter into force in
2024 have been incorporated.

Applicability

This Notice applies to all RMI flag ships as defined in the MLC, 2006.

Importantly,  this definition includes commercial yachts. See §2.0 of RMI Marine Notice 2-011-33 for application of the MLC, 2006.  

The requirements of this Notice that relate to ship construction and equipment shall apply, to the extent reasonably practicable, to ships constructed after the coming into force of International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention (C.) 92 and C. 133 and to ships constructed on or after 20 August 2013, which marked the entry into force of the MLC, 2006 for the RMI.

Unless expressly provided otherwise, any requirement under an amendment to the Code relating to the provision of seafarer accommodation and recreational facilities shall apply only to ships constructed on or after the amendment takes effect.

The term “constructed” shall be interpreted in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter II-1, Part A, Regulations 1.1 and 1.2 as where:  

• 1. the keel is laid; or
• 2. construction identifiable with a specific ship begins, and assembly of that ship has commenced comprising at least 50 tonnes or 1% of the estimated mass of all structural material, whichever is less.

Inspections

Frequent documented inspections shall be carried out on board ships, by or under the authority of the Master, to ensure that seafarer accommodations are clean, decently habitable, and maintained in a good state of repair.

Frequent documented inspections shall be carried out on board ships, by or under the authority of the Master, with respect to:

• 1. supplies of food and drinking water, and beginning 23 December 2024 this must be done “in relation to their quantity, nutritional value, quality, and variety”;
• 2. all spaces and equipment used for the storage and handling of food and drinking water; and
• 3. galley and other equipment for the preparation and service of meals.

The date and results of each such inspection shall be recorded in the Master’s official logbook and be available for review.

Diversity

In the case of ships where there is a need to take into account the interests of seafarers having differing and distinctive religious and social practices, fairly applied variations in respect of these standards may be permitted on condition that such variations do not result in overall facilities less favorable than those which would result from the application of these minimum standards.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS:

Accommodations, Recreational Facilities, Food, Catering, and Water