Sanitary win welcomed for female seafarers under MLC

Years of campaigning for sanitary products by Nautilus, its female members and other maritime organisations have resulted in a win for women onboard.

The most recent amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, agreed in April 2025 and adopted at the International Labour Organization in June 2025, stipulate that ships will need to provide enough suitable menstrual hygiene products for seafarers who need them, along with proper ways to dispose of them. These and the other amendments, including one on preventing sexual harassment and others aimed at improving seafarer welfare, will enter into force by December 2027, but implementation will be down to flag states.

The Union's womens' lead Rachel Lynch welcomed the sanitary improvements as another step forwards in dismantling subtle career barriers for women in maritime: 'This reform is long overdue. While we welcome the amendment, we'll be monitoring closely how flag states implement it in practice.'

Ms Lynch said Nautilus has campaigned on the lack of suitable sanitary products for women at sea for years, and the issue has been raised by Nautilus members at Union meetings and at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Womens' Conference alongside maritime women support networks such as WISTA.

'In the UK, we advocate for these products to be provided for free,' added Ms Lynch. 'We will, nevertheless, look forward to guidance on how these MLC principals will be rolled out globally. Key questions remain, such as where menstrual products such as tampons and pads will be stored – in the medical stores, or toilet dispensers? – and how sanitary products will be disposed of safely.'

The Union's general secretary Mark Dickinson also championed stronger reforms for maritime women workers, including maternity leave and sanitary product provisions, during the TUC Womens' Conference, saying 'nobody needs change more than women seafarers'.

In September 2024, maritime charity Seafarers' Hospital Society rolled out a pilot project to provide free feminine hygiene products to women crew on vessels calling into UK ports in response to research showing a need. The project was funded by a £25k grant provided by the TK Foundation and The Seafarers' Charity, as a result of other research The Seafarers' Charity also funded into the welfare needs of women on cargo ships which was conducted by Seafarers' International Research Centre at Cardiff University.

Guide to MLC amendments

Nautilus members can download the Union's updated guide explaining members' rights to decent living and working conditions at sea under the MLC by logging into My Nautilus. These cover the amendments which came into force in December 2024 as well as previous rounds of amendments from 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022.