The Maritime Labour Convention defines the legal absolute maximum time a seafarer may be on board as 11 months, yet companies frequently push seafarers into extensions beyond their contracted periods – and in the worst cases beyond 11 months. Seafarers fear ‘blacklisting’ – the illegal practice of using lists to prevent seafarers gaining future employment – if they refuse requests to extend their contract. Repeated extension – against the backdrop of power imbalance, restrictions on freedom of movement and impaired freedom to consent – can be a direct indicator of forced labour. Extensions also compound other risks. Fatigue builds over months without rest, isolation from family and support networks lengthens, and the fear that made a seafarer accept the extension is the same fear that stops them reporting other abuses.
For more on forced labour, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.