A Comparative Analysis of Different Countries with The Indian Legal System for Legal Protection of Seafarers

An estimated 90% of global trade is transported by sea or river, which necessitates the use of seafarers to run the ships. As a result, seafarers are critical to international trade and the international economic system. It should be noted that maritime transport was the first globalized industry. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has approved over 70 instruments (41 Conventions and associated Recommendations) at special marine sessions of the International Labour Conference to protect the world's seafarers and their contribution to international trade. The International Labour Organization's international standards for this sector establish the minimum conditions for "decent work" and address almost all aspects of work, including minimum requirements for work on a ship (such as minimum age, medical fitness, and training), provisions on working conditions, such as hours of work and rest, wages, leave, repatriation, accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering, occupational safety and health protection, welfare and social security protection, and so on. They also address pensions and a globally recognized document for mariners (a seafarers' identity document) to help with border control. Humane treatment of seafarers has long been an issue that has evolved alongside the growth of seafaring. Their classification as a distinct group of marine workers stemmed from the unique nature of their employment on board the ship. Because of the vastness of the sea, they were cut off from the protection of a legal system that would ordinarily end or change at every territorial State's border. In the face of legal difficulties and ambiguities, the seafarer's human rights and welfare become vulnerable. The present study aimed to assess the human rights protection of seafarers and focused on a comparative analysis with the Indian legal system for the legal protection of seafarers.