Minimum age - MLC 2006

Regulation 1.1 – Minimum age (Minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship)

No person below the minimum age shall be employed or engaged or work on a ship.
The minimum age at the time of the initial entry into force of this Convention is 16 years.
A higher minimum age shall be required in the circumstances set out in the Code.

The employment, engagement or work on board a ship of any person under the age of 16 shall be prohibited.
Night work of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited. For the purposes of this Standard, “night” shall be defined in accordance with national law and practice. It shall cover a period of at least nine hours starting no later than midnight and ending no earlier than 5 a.m.
An exception to strict compliance with the night work restriction may be made by the competent authority when:
(a) the effective training of the seafarers concerned, in accordance with established programmes and schedules, would be impaired; or
(b) the specific nature of the duty or a recognized training programme requires that the seafarers covered by the exception perform duties at night and the authority determines, after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations concerned, that the work will not be detrimental to their health or well-being.
The employment, engagement or work of seafarers under the age of 18 shall be prohibited where the work is likely to jeopardise their health or safety. The types of such work shall be determined by national laws or regulations or by the competent authority, after consultation with the shipowners’ and seafarers’ organisations concerned, in accordance with relevant international standards.

When regulating working and living conditions, Members should give special attention to the needs of young persons under the age of 18.