Articles of agreement

The articles of agreement was the historical crew employment contract signed before a superintendent of a mercantile marine office, naming the voyage, the rated complement, the wage scale, and the terms of discharge. Under MLC 2006 Regulation 2.1 and Standard A2.1 it is now the Seafarers’ Employment Agreement, an individual signed contract that each seafarer holds, stating wages, hours, leave, repatriation entitlement, and the collective agreement where one applies. A copy must be carried on board and produced to port state control, which checks the SEA closely under the MLC. The legacy term still appears in some flag-state and admiralty law, but the operative document today is the SEA.