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The evolving role of the MLC in protecting seafarersThe contribution of the MLC to strengthening the protection of seafarers%u2019 rights and improving their welfareI believe it is important to spend a little bit of time reflecting on what was in place before the creation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). Prior to its adoption in February 2006, there existed approximately 70 instruments (conventions and recommendations) covering various aspects of seafarers%u2019 living and working conditions at sea. Some of them dated back to the very early days of the International Labour Organization (ILO), and many had not been widely ratified.One notable exception was the convention on minimum standards for merchant ships (C.147), which had created the basis for port state control and was, relatively speaking, well-recognised and ratified by many major maritime nations. However, the fact remained that, at the time, many of the existing conventions had either not entered into force or had become outdated and were in need of being updated.Without going into the specifics of what was a lengthy process spanning at least a decade, the effort to consolidate these 68 instruments into a single framework convention was quite considerable. The result was the MLC, an unprecedented and comprehensive set of minimum standards covering all aspects of life and work at sea. %u0391 dynamic was thus created, whereby it became necessary to hold a certificate verifying that both the vessel and its operator complied with these minimum standards. This, in turn, provided a strong incentive for countries to ratify the Convention, ensuring that ships under their registers would be covered by the certificate, which serves as evidence of compliance with the newly agreed minimum standards. Currently, 112 countries have ratified the Maritime Labour Convention, covering 97% of the by Mark Dickinson,Vice-Presidentof the ILO Special Tripartite Committee,Vice Chair of ITF Seafarers' Section and Former General Secretary of Nautilus InternationalSeafarers under the spotlight238 NX