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THIRD ITEM ON THE AGENDA

Report of the Joint IMO/ILO Working Group
on the Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning
of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180)
(London, 19-23 January 1998)

1. At its 270th Session (November 1997), the Governing Body authorized the holding of the Joint IMO/ILO Working Group to prepare standardized guidelines and format for the records of seafarers' hours of work or hours of rest in accordance with the provisions of the Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180), and the IMO International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978, as amended in 1995 (STCW), with a composition of four ILO representatives (two Seafarer and two Shipowner representatives) and four IMO representatives, and requested the Director-General to communicate the decision to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.⁽¹⁾

2. The Joint Working Group met in London from 19 to 23 January 1998. The report of that meeting is attached (see appendix). In its report, the Working Group requested that the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO and the Governing Body of the ILO --

(a) note the guidelines for the development of tables of seafarers' shipboard working arrangements and the formats of records of seafarers' hours of work or hours of rest (paragraph 6.5 and Annex 3 of the appended report);

(b) note the model format for a table of shipboard working arrangements (paragraph 6.5 and Appendix 3 to Annex 3 of the appended report);

(c) note the model format for records of hours of work or hours of rest of seafarers (paragraph 6.5 and Appendix 4 to Annex 3 of the appended report);

(d) authorize publication of the guidelines and model formats as explained in paragraph 6.5 of the appended report;

(e) keep the guidelines and model formats under review (paragraph 7.1);

(f) approve the report in general.

3. At its 69th Session (London, 11-20 May 1998), the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO approved the report of the Joint Working Group and noted the agreed guidelines for the development of tables of seafarers' shipboard working arrangements and the formats of records of seafarers' hours of work or hours of rest; the model format for a table of shipboard working arrangements; and the model format for records of hours of work or hours of rest of seafarers. It requested the IMO secretariat, in conjunction with the ILO, to jointly publish the guidelines and model formats and to keep both under review.

4. The Committee on Sectoral and Technical Meetings and Related Issues may wish to recommend that the Governing Body --

(a) take note of the report of the Joint IMO/ILO Working Group on the Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180), including its attached guidelines and model formats;

(b) authorize the Director-General to consult with the Secretary-General of the IMO regarding the joint publication of the guidelines for the development of tables of seafarers' shipboard working arrangements and the formats of records of seafarers' hours of work or hours of rest, the model format for a table of shipboard working arrangements and the model format for records of hours of work or hours of rest of seafarers;

(c) request the Director-General to communicate its decision to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.

Geneva, 7 October 1998.

Point for decision:

Paragraph 4.

1. GB.270/STM/4/2; GB.270/11, paras. 34-35, and minutes of the Governing Body, 270th Session, fourth sitting.

Appendix

[IMO/ILO/JWG/8]