On the morning of March 16, the opening ceremony of the Training of Trainers and Maritime Inspectors in the Application of the ILO MLC, 2006 for Asian Countries was held at Shanghai Maritime University. Vice President Yin Ming; Monica Rossi Rizzi, Senior Manager at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO); and expert Luigi Giardino attended the ceremony, together with 22 participants from maritime authorities in Malaysia, Thailand, and China. Changhee Lee, Director for ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia, and Hu Mengfu, Deputy Director of the Seafarers Division of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, China, delivered remarks online. The ceremony was presided over by the head of the International Education College.
On behalf of SMU, Yin Ming extended a warm welcome to the guests and participants from all countries and introduced the university’s long-standing strengths in maritime and shipping education as well as its achievements in international cooperation. He noted that safeguarding seafarers’ rights and interests is the foundation for the healthy development of the shipping industry, and that Shanghai Maritime University is willing to work with all parties to jointly promote the effective implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 in Asia.
In his speech, Changhee Lee highly praised the efforts made by China and other Asian countries in promoting decent work and improving seafarers’ working conditions. He pointed out that this training programme is of great significance for enhancing regional compliance capacity and promoting fair competition in the shipping industry, and encouraged the participants to actively exchange ideas, apply what they learn, and become “seeds” for disseminating the Convention’s principles and practical experience.
Deputy Director Hu Mengfu stated that the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of seafarers’ rights and interests and has actively participated in the formulation and implementation of international maritime labour standards. He hoped that this training would further strengthen cooperation between China and other Asian countries in maritime administration, jointly improve compliance levels, and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to the harmonious development of the global shipping industry.
Ms. Monica Rossi Rizzi introduced the mission of the International Training Centre of the ILOin Turin, Italy, and the course design philosophy. She said the centre would fully support the training programme and, through professional and systematic course arrangements, help participants gain a deeper understanding of the Convention’s requirements, master advanced training and inspection methods, and become key forces in promoting implementation practices in their own countries.
The one-week training programme, scheduled from March 16 to March 20, 2026, will focus on the latest developments of the Training of Trainers and Maritime Inspectors in the Application of the ILO MLC, 2006 for Asian Countries. Through in-depth analysis and discussion of the Convention and its amendments, it aims to promote information sharing and exchanges of good practices among Asian maritime countries in terms of implementation. The main objectives of the programme are to strengthen the knowledge and skills of competent authorities in participating countries in implementing the Convention and improve their enforcement and compliance systems; to cultivate a group of inspectors and trainers with solid knowledge of the Convention and inspection experience, thereby enhancing the implementation capacity of competent authorities; and to strengthen regional cooperation and networking between port State control and flag State inspection systems, jointly advancing the overall implementation of maritime labour standards in Asia.
Since 2020, Shanghai Maritime University has continued its cooperation with the ILOITC in Turin, to promote the global implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
