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Shipowners' Liability (Sick and Injured Seamen) Convention, 1936

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Shipowners' Liability (Sick and Injured Seamen) Convention, 1936
C55
ILO Convention
Date of adoptionNovember 24, 1936
Date in forceNovember 29, 1939
ClassificationSocial Security
SubjectSeafarers
PreviousHolidays with Pay (Sea) Convention, 1936
NextSickness Insurance (Sea) Convention, 1936

Shipowners' Liability (Sick and Injured Seamen) Convention, 1936 is an International Labour Organization Convention.

It was established in 1936, with the preamble stating:

Having decided upon the adoption of certain proposals with regard to the liability of the shipowner in case of sickness, injury or death of seamen,...

The convention was ratified by the United States Senate and made effective by proclamation of the President on 29 October 1939, 54 Stat. 1963, 1704. In Warren v. United States, 340 U.S. 523 (1951), the Supreme Court considered the application and interpretation of Article 2 of the Convention in a seaman's case against his employer, the United States, in its capacity as owner of the merchant ship S. S. Anna Howard Shaw.

While on shore leave, the seaman visited a dance hall. An adjoining room overlooking the ocean had French doors that opened to an unprotected ledge. The seaman stepped out onto the ledge, lost his balance, and fell. He sued to recover maintenance and cure.

The district court awarded maintenance and cure and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals disallowed it. Reversing, the Supreme Court noted:

"The Convention was a product of the International Labor Organization. Its purpose was to provide an international system of regulation of the shipowner's liability. That international system was aimed at providing a reasonable average which could be applied in any country. . . . The aim indeed was not to change materially American standards but to equalize operating costs by raising the standards of member nations to the American level."

Ratifications

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As of 2023, 18 states have ratified the convention. It has subsequently been denounced by 13 of those ratifying states.

Country Date Status
Belgium 11 Apr 1938 Not in force
Belize 15 Jul 2005 Not in force
Bulgaria 29 Dec 1949 Not in force
Djibouti 03 Aug 1978 Not in force
Egypt 04 Aug 1982 In Force
France 19 Jun 1947 Not in force
Greece 19 Jun 1968 Not in force
Italy 22 Oct 1952 Not in force
Liberia 9 May 1960 Not in force
Luxembourg 15 Feb 1991 Not in force
Mexico 15 Sep 1939 In Force
Morocco 14 Mar 1958 Not in force
Panama 04 Jun 1971 Not in force
Peru 04 Apr 1962 In Force
Spain 30 Nov 1971 Not in force
Tunisia 14 Apr 1970 Not in force
Turkey 17 Mar 2005 In Force
United States of America 29 Oct 1938 In Force
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