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 Merchant Marine Circular No. 264

Please find attached copy of Merchant Marine Circular No. 264 recently issued by Panama Maritime Authority (PMA).

According to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, all Panamanian flagged vessels must have an On-Board Complaints Procedure and a record book for the registration of complaints.  This procedure should be established for the fair, effective and expeditious handling of seafarer complaints alleging breaches of the provisions of the Convention and seafarers rights. This procedure should be in English or the language spoken on board.

            The seafarers have the right to present their complaints directly to the necessary,

            to the competent authorities that may be understood as the Port or Flag 
            State Control surveyors.

Each shipowner of Panamanian flagged vessels shall provide seafarers with a copy of the On-Board Complaints Procedure applicable, along with a copy of their employment agreement.  The procedure should include the competent authority contact information in the Flag State and seafarers’ country of residence.

The no compliance with the elements contains in this circular regarding the On-Board Complaints Procedure are subject to penalizations from PMA.

In case of any question about MLC 2006, please contact mlc@segumar.com

If you need further assistance regarding this matter, please contact us to arodilaw@arodi.com