SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA) Director, Phil Schifflin, Esq., attended the Fifth Meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from April 7-11, 2025. Representing SCI as a member of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) Delegation, Schifflin was one of few invited to speak on behalf of ICMA at the opening plenary. A transcript of his opening, along with a transcript of his remarks, is below. Also, ICMA interviewed Phil regarding the work they were doing this week in Geneva on behalf of seafarers. The video of this interview is also available below. (Thank you to ICMA’s General Secretary Jason Zuidema for providing and posting this content on their website.)

Watch Phil Schifflin’s Opening Plenary at the recent ILO Meeting in Geneva:

Below is the full transcription of Schifflin’s opening remarks:

The International Christian Maritime Association, ICMA, is a fellowship of 27 member organizations working together to support seafarers in over 700 ports around the world. We are grateful for the opportunity to be present this week and to offer our perspective from the front lines of seafarer welfare.

We come as a global network of civil society organizations whose focus of concern is the wellbeing of seafarers. We can reflect the lived experience of those who go down to the sea in ships.

Over the past years, seafarers have faced extraordinary strain. The damage of the COVID pandemic is still with us. The crises in the Black Sea and Red Sea have only added to the uncertainty and fear.

The themes of every proposal up for consideration would improve the well-being of seafarers and help mitigate or prevent these hardships. So, with that in mind, ICMA hopes that we can all come together and truly work collaboratively to find common ground and advance the well-being of seafarers. 

ICMA would like to highlight three specific issues for your consideration.

First; when you ask a seafarer what they are most looking forward to, they almost always mention going home to their loved ones at the conclusion of their contract. Seafarers suffer stress and mental health challenges when they are not timely repatriated at the conclusion of their contract term. Challenges during the COVID pandemic exposed gaps that still need to be closed to better protect this fundamental right. ICMA implores all to work collectively to strengthen obligations around timely and efficient repatriation.

Second; when you ask a seafarer what is the greatest morale boost they experience while on contract they regularly mention shore leave. This has been true for centuries on end, the arrival of a ship in port has brought the hope of stepping ashore — to buy essentials, to get away from the ship, to reconnect with the world. Today, too many seafarers are denied that basic moment of humanity because of the inaction or complexity of overlapping port state, flag state, or company policies. ICMA calls on this room to work together to adopt language that will have the practical impact to improve shore leave.

Thirdly; one of the most significant drags on positive morale for seafarers is the prevalence of harassment and bullying, including sexual harassment and sexual assault. When these abuses occur, the psychological and emotional cost to seafarers is enormous. ICMA supports any proposals that will help bring an end to this completely unacceptable conduct.
Taken together, these three issues — repatriation, shore leave, and protection from abuse — are not abstract policies. They are lived realities.

They affect whether seafarers feel valued, safe, and respected. They affect whether seafarers stay at sea — or leave the profession altogether.

We are happy to share our perspective with any delegates wishing comment and encourage action to support all those who do their business on the great waters of this earth.

Thank you.”