Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to assess whether P&O Ferries’ contract with International Fleet Management is compliant with section 8 of the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Recruitment and Placement) Regulations 2014.

The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Recruitment and Placement) Regulations 2014 are only applicable to recruitment services operating out of UK.

The responsibility of verifying compliance with Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) for International Ferry Management lies with Malta, where the company is based.

During the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Port State Control inspections of the P&O ferries, their inspectors were presented with a Certificate of Compliance issued by RINA on behalf of the Maltese administration that demonstrated compliance with the requirements of the MLC.