CONVENTION No.55 Convention concerning the Liability of the Ship-owner in Case of Sickness, Injury or Death of Seamen
CONVENTION No.55 Convention concerning the Liability of the Ship-owner in Case of Sickness, Injury or Death of Seamen
[Date of coming into force: 29 October 1939.]
Whole document
The General Conference of the International Labour Organization,
Having been convened at Geneva by the Governing Body of the
International Labour Office, and having met in its Twenty-first Session
on 6 October 1936, and
Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to
the liability of the shipowner in case of sickness, injury or death of
seamen, which is included in the second item on the agenda of the Session,
and
Having determined that these proposals shall take the form of an
international Convention, adopts this twenty-fourth day of October of the
year one thousand nine hundred and thirty-six the following Convention,
which may be cited as the Shipowners' Liability (Sick and Injured Seamen)
Convention, 1936:
Article 1
1. This Convention applies to all persons employed on board any
vessel, other than a ship of war, registered in a territory for which this
Convention is in force and ordinarily engaged in maritime navigation.
2. Provided that any Member of the International Labour Organization
may in its national laws or regulations make such exceptions as it deems
necessary in respect of
(a) persons employed on board,
(i) vessels of public authorities when such vessels are not
engaged in trade;
(ii) coastwise fishing boats;
(iii) boats of less than twenty-five tons gross tonnage;
(iv) wooden ships of primitive build such as dhows and junks;
(b) persons employed on board by an employer other than the
shipowner;
(c) persons employed solely in ports in repairing, cleaning,
loading or unloading vessels;
(d) members of the shipowner's family;
(e) pilots.
Article 2
1. The shipowner shall be liable in respect of
(a) sickness and injury occurring between the date specified in the
articles of agreement for reporting for duty and the termination of the
engagement;
(b) death resulting from such sickness or injury.
2. Provided that national laws or regulations may make exceptions in
respect of
(a) injury incurred otherwise than in the service of the ship;
(b) injury or sickness due to the wilful act, default or
misbehaviour of the sick, injured or deceased person;
(c) sickness or infirmity intentionally concealed when the
engagement is entered into.
3. National laws or regulations may provide that the shipowner shall
not be liable in respect of sickness, or death directly attributable to
sickness, if at the time of engagement the person employed refused to be
medically examined.
Article 3
For the purpose of this Convention, medical care and maintenance at
the expense of the shipowner comprises
(a) medical treatment and the supply of proper and sufficient
medicines and therapeutical appliances; and
(b) board and lodging.
Article 4
1. The shipowner shall be liable to defray the expense of medical care
and maintenance until the sick or injured person has been cured, or until
the sickness or incapacity has been declared of a permanent character.
2. Provided that national laws or regulations may limit the liability
of the shipowner to defray the expense of medical care and maintenance to
a period which shall not be less than sixteen weeks from the day of the
injury or the commencement of the sickness.
3. Provided also that, if there is in force in the territory in which
the vessel is registered a scheme applying to seamen of compulsory
sickness insurance, compulsory accident insurance or workmen's
compensation for accidents, national laws or regulations may provide
(a) that a shipowner shall cease to be liable in respect of a sick
or injured person from the time at which that person becomes entitled to
medical benefits under the insurance or compensation scheme;
(b) that the shipowner shall cease to be liable from the time
prescribed by law for the grant of medical benefits under the insurance or
compensation scheme to the beneficiaries of such schemes, even when the
sick or injured person is not covered by the scheme in question, unless he
is excluded from the scheme by reason of any restriction which affects
particularly foreign workers or workers not resident in the territory in
which the vessel is registered.
Article 5
1. Where the sickness or injury results in incapacity for work the
shipowner shall be liable-
(a) to pay full wages as long as the sick or injured person
remains on board;
(b) if the sick or injured person has dependants, to pay wages in
whole or in part as prescribed by national laws or regulations from the
time when he is landed until he has been cured or the sickness or
incapacity has been declared of a permanent character.
2. Provided that national laws or regulations may limit the liability
of the shipowner to pay wages in whole or in part in respect of a person
no longer on board to a period which shall not be less than sixteen weeks
from the day of the injury or the commencement of the sickness.
3. Provided also that, if there is in force in the territory in which
the vessel is registered a scheme applying to seamen of compulsory
sickness insurance, compulsory accident insurance or workmen's
compensation for accidents, national laws or regulations may provide
(a) that a shipowner shall cease to be liable in respect of a sick
or injured person from the time at which that person becomes entitled to
cash benefits under the insurance or compensation scheme;
(b) that the shipowner shall cease to be liable from the time
prescribed by law for the grant of cash benefits under the insurance or
compensation scheme to the beneficiaries of such schemes, even when the
sick or injured person is not covered by the scheme in question, unless he
is excluded from the scheme by reason of any restriction which affects
particularly foreign workers or workers not resident in the territory in
which the vessel is registered.
Article 6
1. The shipowner shall be liable to defray the expense of repatriating
every sick or injured person who is landed during the voyage in
consequence of sickness or injury.
2. The port to which the sick or injured person is to be returned
shall be
(a) the port at which he was engaged; or
(b) the port at which the voyage commenced; or
(c) a port in his own country or the country to which he belongs;
or
(d) another port agreed upon by him and the master or shipowner,
with the approval of the competent authority.
3. the expense of repatriation shall include all charges for the
transportation, accommodation and food of the sick or injured person
during the journey and his maintenance up to the time fixed for his
departure.
4. If the sick or injured person is capable of work, the shipowner may
discharge his liability to repatriate him by providing him with suitable
employment on board a vessel proceeding to one of the destinations
mentioned in paragraph 2 of this Article.
Article 7
1. The shipowner shall be liable to defray burial expenses in case of
death occurring on board, or in case of death occurring on shore if at the
time of his death the deceased person was entitled to medical care and
maintenance at the shipowner's expense.
2. National laws or regulations may provide that burial expenses paid
by the shipowner shall be reimbursed by an insurance institution in cases
in which funeral benefit is payable in respect of the deceased person
under laws or regulations relating to social insurance or workmen's
compensation.
Article 8
National laws or regulations shall require the shipowner or his
representative to take measures for safeguarding property left on board by
sick, injured or deceased persons to whom this Convention applies.
Article 9
National laws or regulations shall make provision for securing the
rapid and inexpensive settlement of disputes concerning the liability of
the shipowner under this Convention.
Article 10
The shipowner may be exempted from liability under Articles 4, 6 and 7
of this convention in so far as such liability is assumed by the public
authorities.
Article 11
This Convention and national laws or regulations relating to benefits
under this Convention shall be so interpreted and enforced as to ensure
equality of treatment to all seamen irrespective of nationality, domicile
or race.
Article 12
Nothing in this Convention shall affect any law, award, custom or
agreement between shipowners and seamen which ensures more favourable
conditions than those provided by this Convention.
Article 13
1. In respect of the territories referred to in article 35 of the
Constitution of the International Labour Organization, each Member of the
Organization which ratifies this Convention shall append to its
ratification a declaration stating
(a) the territories in respect of which it undertakes to apply the
provisions of the Convention without modification;
(b) the territories in respect of which it undertakes to apply the
provisions of the Convention subject to modifications, together with
details of the said modifications;
(c) The territories in respect of which the Convention is
inapplicable and in such cases the grounds on which it is inapplicable;
(d) the territories in respect of which it reserves its decision.
2. The undertakings referred to in subparagraphs (a) and (b) of
paragraph 1 of this Article shall be deemed to be an integral part of the
ratification and shall have the force of ratification.
3. Any Member may by a subsequent declaration cancel in whole or in
part any reservations made in its original declaration in virtue of
subparagraphs (b), (c) or (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article.
Article 14
The formal ratifications of this Convention shall be communicated to
the Director-General of the International Labour Office for registration.
Article 15
1. This Convention shall be binding only upon those members of the
International Labour Organization whose ratifications have been registered
with the Director-General.
2. It shall come into force twelve months after the date on which the
ratifications of two Members have been registered with the
Director-General.
3. Thereafter, this Convention shall come into force for any Member
twelve months after the date on which its ratification has been
registered.
Article 16
As soon as the ratifications of two Members of the International
Labour Organization have been registered, the Director-General of the
International Labour Office shall so notify all the Members of the
International Labour Organization. He shall likewise notify them of the
registration of ratifications which may be communicated subsequently by
other Members of the Organization.
Article 17
1. A Member which has ratified this Convention may denounce it after
the expiration of ten years from the date on which the Convention first
comes into force, by an act communicated to the Director-General of the
International Labour Office for registration. Such denunciation shall not
take effect until one year after the date on which it is registered.
2. Each Member which has ratified this Convention and which does not,
within the year following the expiration of the period of ten years
mentioned in the preceding paragraph, exercise the right of denunciation
provided for in this Article, will be bound for another period of ten
years and, thereafter, may denounce this Convention at the expiration of
each period of ten years under the terms provided for in this Article.
Article 18
At such times as it may consider necessary the Governing Body of the
International Labour Office shall present to the General Conference a
report on the working of this Convention and shall examine the
desirability of placing on the agenda of the Conference the question of
its revision in whole or in part.
Article 19
1. Should the Conference adopt a new Convention revising this
Convention in whole or in part, then, unless the new Convention otherwise
provides,
(a) the ratification by a Member of the new revising Convention
shall ipso jure involve the immediate denunciation of this Convention,
notwithstanding the provisions of Article 17 above, if and when the new
revising Convention shall have come into force;
(b) as from the date when the new revising Convention comes into
force, this Convention shall cease to be open to ratification by the
Members.
2. This Convention shall in any case remain in force in its actual
form and content for those Members which have ratified it but have not
ratified the revising Convention.
Article 20
The French and English texts of this Convention shall both be
authentic.
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