Holly is the editor of Dockwalk. She grew up racing sailboats in England before switching to the world of superyachts and moving across the pond to Fort Lauderdale.
From 23 December 2024, amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) will mandate that all yachts provide free drinking water and balanced meals to crew members. These changes address long-standing concerns about dietary quality and access to basic necessities onboard.
Previously, while food was supplied free of charge, water provisions were not explicitly regulated. This amendment ensures that all crew have access to drinking water at no cost and that meals served onboard meet health and nutritional standards. These changes apply to all yachts operating on international voyages or outside declared sheltered waters of their flag state.
Yacht owners and managers must work with their galley teams to assess current food and water provisioning practices. For galleys, this may involve reviewing meal plans, sourcing healthier ingredients, or engaging professional catering consultants to meet balanced meal requirements. For water provisioning, yachts must install or verify the functionality of onboard filtration systems or plan for additional supplies during provisioning runs.
Failure to comply with these requirements will result in non-conformance during MLC inspections, potentially affecting the yacht’s operational certifications. Additionally, these amendments aim to enhance crew welfare, reflecting growing regulatory emphasis on living and working conditions for seafarers.
Captains and managers should ensure galley teams and crew are fully informed of these changes and prepare compliance measures before the deadline. With enhanced welfare expectations, these adjustments also serve to improve crew morale and retention.