Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2019, published 109th ILC session (2021)

Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003, as amended (No. 185) - Congo (Ratification: 2014)

The Committee deeply regrets to note that the Government has failed to submit its first report on the application of the Convention for the third consecutive year. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the fact that if the requested report is not received on time (before 1 September 2020) for examination by the Committee at its next session, it will proceed to review the application of the Convention on the basis of publicly available information. The Committee emphasizes the particular importance of the first report, which provides the basis for the initial assessment of the implementation of the Convention both in law and in practice. The Committee is aware that, where no report has been sent for some time, it is likely that administrative or other problems are at the origin of the difficulties encountered by the Government in fulfilling its constitutional obligations. In such cases, it is important for governments to request technical assistance from the Office and for such assistance to be provided rapidly.

The Committee notes that the 2016 amendments to the Annexes of the Convention entered into force for Congo on 8 June 2017. The Committee recalls that these amendments aim at aligning the technical requirements of the Convention with the latest standards adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) with respect to the technology for seafarers’ identity documents (SIDs) provided for in the Convention. In particular, they intend to change the biometric template in seafarers’ identity documents from a fingerprint template in a two-dimensional barcode to a facial image stored in a contactless chip as required by ICAO Doc. 9303.

The Committee recalls the Resolution adopted by the third meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee of the Maritime Labour Convention, as amended (MLC, 2006), whereby it expressed concern about the difficulties seafarers continue to have in accessing shore leave and transiting in certain ports and terminals around the world and recognized that although an increased number of member States have ratified Convention No. 185, there still appear to be problems in ensuring that the Convention works in the way that it was originally intended. The Committee accordingly requests the Government to adopt the necessary measures to implement the Convention without delay and to submit the requested first report for its examination at its next session. The Committee reminds the Government that it may avail itself of the technical assistance of the Office.

[The Government is asked to send a detailed report in 2020.]