The procurement of food on board liner ships: the role of the international labor organization

Abstract

Food is important for liner shipping companies (LSCs) in their efforts to support daily lives and fulfil seafarer demand. Food issues are addressed in the International Labour Organization's (ILO's) Food and Catering (Ships' Crews) Convention 1946 (No. 68), amended 2006. Moreover, the enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) Regulations and Code appears to have ensured that seafarers have hygienic conditions and that good quality food and drinking water are provided. The MLC aims to meet all current standards of international maritime labour conventions and recommendations, and comply with the fundamental principles found in other international labour conventions. Yet despite these efforts, food issues require greater attention, as maintaining the food supply chain is a dynamic and difficult task. To identify strategies for improving the procurement of food for ships, this paper illustrates how to facilitate the food supply for shipping lines and further evaluate the associated supply chain. Advanced technology, comprehensive procurement procedures, qualified personnel, extensive outbound logistics (i.e., distribution) networks and sound training programmes on food quality and safety are critical elements in the food supply chain, and will enhance the quality of food for seafarers.

Seafarers’ views on the impact of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 on their living and working conditions: results from a pilot study

“…Consistent with existing literature [14,16,18,19] the results indicate an ambivalent opinion regarding the impact of the MLC2006. As 92.7% of respondents were born in Denmark and 87.3% stated to work on ships flying the Danish flag, the results mainly indicated the situation among seafarers in Denmark.…”

“…More detailed food provision standards should be established and included in the MLC2006. The current text does not achieve to provide an adequate level of healthy and nutritious food, something that has also been criticised by others [18]. Food is essential for physical and mental health and wellbeing and should therefore be a priority for all ship-owners and managers [1,27].…”

“…The MLC2006 includes the phrase that the members "shall" (Regulation 3.2, 1) serve enough and nutritious food. The Regulation does not define nutritious food and does not specify the quantity of nutrients that should be provided [18]. The kind of food that is provided is therefore largely left to the ratifying countries.…”

“…Mixed results with both negative and positive aspects regarding the impact of the MLC2006 have been reported. Available studies investigated the impact of the MLC2006 on the protection of seafarers' welfare [14], the employment policies for Filipino seafarers employed overseas [15], the Egyptian law compared to MLC2006 [16], the living and working conditions for seafarers employed at a Thai subsea company [17], food provision on liner ships [18] and the availability of recreational facilities in connection to the standards of MLC2006 [19]. Only the study comparing the Egyptian law to the provisions of the MLC2006 draws a solely positive conclusion regarding the potential impact of the MLC2006 in Egypt [16].…”

Sodium Toxicity in the Nutritional Epidemiology and Nutritional Immunology of COVID-19

“…Even when carrying more fresh fruit and vegetables, modern cruise ships appear susceptible to infectious disease outbreaks, evidenced by the coronavirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship Diamond Princess [ 236 ]. The procurement of food on board liner ships should avoid over reliance on processed foods in response to supply chain challenges of food degradation and “shelf life constraints for raw materials and perishable products” [ 237 ].…”