Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Maritime Welfare, Seafarer Charities, and MLC Rights glossary

Terminology of seafarer welfare and MLC entitlements: the MLC definition of abandonment, the IMO/ILO abandonment database and financial-security requirements covering unpaid wages and repatriation, welfare charities and seafarer unions, and the medical, financial and repatriation aid categories protecting crew rights under the Maritime Labour Convention.

290 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 1 of 2).

A

Abandonment (MLC definition): Occurs when a shipowner fails to cover repatriation, leaves the seafarer without necessary maintenance, or unilaterally severs ties including non-payment of wages for at least two months.
Abandonment Database (IMO/ILO): Joint Tripartite Working Group database hosted by the ILO logging seafarer abandonment cases reported by governments, unions, and welfare bodies, with roughly 600 cases recorded since inception.
Abandonment financial security: Mandatory MLC 2006 Regulation 2.5.2 insurance covering repatriation, wages, and essentials when a seafarer is abandoned.
Action Maritime Foundation: Welfare-adjacent charitable initiative supporting seafarers and their families in cases of distress at sea.
Aid to Seafarers: General welfare category covering medical, financial, and repatriation assistance provided by charities and unions.
All India Seafarers Union: Indian trade union representing Indian seafarers on domestic and international voyages.
AMOSUP: Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines, the largest Filipino seafarers' union and an ITF affiliate.
AMSU: Australian Maritime Officers Union representing deck and engineer officers in Australian shipping.
Anglican Mission to Seafarers: Common shorthand for The Mission to Seafarers, the Anglican Communion's port chaplaincy network founded 1856.
Apostleship of the Sea: Catholic seafarers' welfare organization, now Stella Maris.
Articles of Agreement (SEA): Seafarer Employment Agreement mandated under MLC Title 2.1 setting out terms, wages, and notice between seafarer and shipowner.
Asian Seafarers Welfare Federation: Regional network coordinating welfare delivery across major Asian crewing nations.
Australian Seafarers' Welfare Council: National welfare board coordinating port-based services across Australian ports under MLC Title 4.4.

B

Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO): Trade association founded 1905 in Copenhagen.
Beneficial Owner Identification: Critical step in abandonment cases to locate the responsible party for crew wages and repatriation.
Benevolent Fund: Generic name for charitable funds operated by unions and welfare bodies to assist seafarers in hardship.
Berthing Welfare Visit: Standard service performed by chaplains and ship visitors at port to deliver welfare materials and assess crew well-being.
Blue Card (P&I): Certificate issued by a P&I club evidencing the financial security required by MLC 2014 amendments for abandonment cover.
Boarding Officer: Officer in charge of a VBSS team.
Body of Christ Seafarers Mission: Local seafarer ministry archetype operating welfare centers in port cities globally.
Bond of Friendship: Common scheme name used by missions for befriending isolated crew through correspondence or visits.
Buenos Aires Convention 1936: Early ILO seafarer minimum-age and welfare instrument later consolidated into MLC 2006.
Bus Service for Seafarers: Mission-operated shuttle from terminals to welfare centers and city, often funded by ITF Seafarers' Trust grants.

C

Cabotage Crew Welfare: Welfare considerations specific to domestic-trade crew often outside ITF FOC coverage.
Captain Superintendent: Shore-based fleet operations executive.
Care for the Caregiver: Mental-health programs aimed at chaplains and welfare workers themselves.
Catholic Seafarers' Apostolate: Pastoral arm of the Catholic Church serving seafarers via Stella Maris.
Center for Seafarers' Rights: New York-based legal-aid program founded by the Seamen's Church Institute.
Certified Seafarer: Seafarer holding STCW certification, distinct from welfare entitlement under MLC.
Change of Crew: Logistical event during which welfare risks of fatigue, contract disputes, and visa issues converge.
Chaplain to Seafarers: Ordained or commissioned minister providing pastoral care, often funded by Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris, or Sailors' Society.
Charterer's Liability for Crew: Limited but emerging area under voluntary codes such as the Neptune Declaration.
Chinese Seafarers' Construction Trade Union: National union representing seafarers from the People's Republic of China.
Christian Maritime Ministries: Generic term for the Protestant, Catholic, and ecumenical missions serving seafarers worldwide.
Church of Sweden Seamen's Mission: Lutheran seafarers' mission of the Church of Sweden, operating Swedish Seamen's Churches in major foreign ports.
Citizens' Watch on Abandonment: Civil-society monitoring of abandonment incidents complementing the IMO/ILO database.
Civil Society Sphere of MLC: Recognition by MLC of welfare provision by non-governmental and faith-based bodies.
Code of Good Practice on Seafarer Recruitment: ITF and shipowner guidance against recruitment fees and contract-substitution.
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): Wage and conditions agreement between unions and shipowners, including ITF TCC and IBF agreements.
Compassionate Repatriation: Repatriation triggered by family bereavement or emergency, sometimes funded by missions where shipowners refuse.
Complaint Handling Procedure (Onboard): Mandatory under MLC Regulation 5.1.5 enabling seafarers to raise grievances on board.
Complaint Handling Procedure (Onshore): Mandatory under MLC Regulation 5.2.2 enabling seafarers to complain to port-state authorities.
Connectivity at Sea: 2022 MLC amendment requiring reasonable seafarer access to ship-to-shore communications including internet.
Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC): Seafarer identity and service-record document used in many flag states, intersecting with MLC identity-document provisions.
Convention 147 ILO: 1976 Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, the precursor consolidated into MLC 2006.
COSP MLC: Committee of Special Tripartite Body under MLC, which adopts amendments to the Code.
COVID-19 Crew Change Crisis: 2020-2022 global crisis during which hundreds of thousands of seafarers were stranded beyond contract, partially addressed by the Neptune Declaration.
Crew Manager: Manning agency role increasingly bound by MLC 1.4 recruitment-and-placement service standards.
Crew Welfare Committee: Vessel-level body recommended under MLC Title 4 to coordinate amenities and recreation.
Crisis Response Network (ISWAN): Standing capacity within ISWAN to coordinate emergency welfare response after abandonment, casualty, or detention.

D

Danish Seamen's Mission: Lutheran Danish Seamen's Mission known as DSUK operating chaplaincies in foreign ports.
Death and Disability Compensation: Standard amounts paid under ITF TCC and IBF agreements to seafarers' families, distinct from statutory P&I cover.
Decent Work Agenda: ILO framing within which MLC 2006 sits as the seafarers' bill of rights.
Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance (DMLC): Two-part ship document required under MLC 2006, comprising Part I from the flag state and Part II from the shipowner.
Deserter Welfare: Care of seafarers who abandon ship for safety reasons, often coordinated by ITF inspectors and missions.
Deutsche Seemannsmission: German Seamen's Mission, a Lutheran welfare body operating clubs in German ports and several foreign ports.
Distressed Seafarers' Fund: ITF Seafarers' Trust grant stream for emergency cash assistance.
Diversity in Maritime Charter: Maritime UK initiative welfare bodies and unions support to broaden seafarer recruitment.
Dockworkers Solidarity: ITF Dockers' Section practice of refusing to handle ships under ITF boycott, used to enforce welfare and wage standards.
Doctor at Sea Schemes: Telemedicine and shore-medical support networks complementing MLC medical-care obligations.
Domestic Seafarer Coverage: Extent to which national legislation extends MLC-equivalent protections to crew on domestic voyages.
Drug and alcohol policy: Company D&A policy aligned with OCIMF and CDI.
DSUK: Danish Seamen's Mission abroad, with chaplaincies for Danish-speaking seafarers and traders.

E

Ecumenical Maritime Mission: Joint chaplaincy delivered by multiple denominations within ICMA, common in many ports.
Embarkation Welfare Briefing: Pre-joining briefing on welfare contacts including SeafarerHelp.
Employer of Record: Manning entity legally responsible for the SEA, central to MLC enforcement.
Engineer Officers' Mutual Indemnity: Historic British benefit society for marine engineers, predecessor to modern union welfare.
Enhanced Inspection (MLC): Port-state procedure triggered by complaint or evident deficiency, allowing detailed welfare audit.
Equality at Sea: Welfare priority covering gender, race, sexual-orientation, and disability protection on board.
European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA): Industry body in Brussels.
European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO): Port-side stakeholder in welfare facility provision at EU ports.
Exploitation Indicators: ILO checklist used by ITF inspectors and welfare bodies to identify forced-labor situations on ships.

F

Family Liaison Officer: Shipping-company or union staffer maintaining contact with seafarer families during long voyages or incidents.
Federation of European Catholic Bishops on Sea Apostolate: Regional Stella Maris coordinating body within Europe.
Filipino Seafarers: Approximately one-quarter of the global maritime workforce, served by AMOSUP and Stella Maris Philippines.
Filipino-Chinese Seafarers' Mission: Welfare body serving Filipino and Chinese-Filipino seafarers, particularly in Manila and abroad.
Financial Security Certificate (Repatriation): MLC certificate evidencing cover for repatriation costs and outstanding wages.
Finnish Seamen's Mission: English name for Suomen Merimieskirkko, founded 1875 in Turku as a Lutheran maritime ministry.
First-Aid Box (MLC 4.1): Mandatory onboard medical chest under the IMO/ILO/WHO International Medical Guide for Ships.
Fishing Vessel Work Convention C188: ILO 2007 convention extending MLC-style protections to fishers, in force 2017.
Flag of Convenience Campaign: Long-running ITF campaign launched at the 1948 Oslo congress to secure CBA coverage and welfare standards on FOC ships.
Flag of Convenience FOC: Open registry flag sometimes used for last voyages.
Flying Angel: Symbol of the Mission to Seafarers.
Food and Catering (MLC 3.2): Standard requiring sufficient quality and quantity of food and drinking water and qualified ship's cook.
Forwarded Mail Service: Long-standing mission service of forwarding personal mail and parcels to seafarers at ports.

G

General Council of British Shipping: Historic UK shipowners' body, predecessor to the UK Chamber of Shipping.
German Seamen's Mission: Deutsche Seemannsmission, founded 1881, operating chaplaincies in major German and overseas ports.
Global Maritime Forum: Industry forum that hosted the Neptune Declaration on crew change in December 2020.
Global Seafarer Wellbeing Survey: Periodic survey commissioned by welfare bodies including Sailors' Society and Mission to Seafarers.
Good Conduct Bonus: Contract feature scrutinized by ITF and welfare bodies for unfair forfeiture clauses.
Greek Seamen's Pension Fund (NAT): Statutory Greek seafarer welfare and pension institution.
Grievance Mechanism: General term covering MLC Regulations 5.1.5 and 5.2.2 complaint procedures.
Gulf Seafarers' Welfare: Welfare provision in the Arabian Gulf coordinated by ISWAN partners in Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah.

H

Hala B Abandonment: 2014 abandonment case in the UAE that exposed gaps later addressed by the MLC 2014 financial-security amendment.
Happiness Index: Mission to Seafarers' quarterly Seafarers Happiness Index, polling crew on welfare, food, contact, and shore leave.
Harassment and Bullying Amendment: MLC 2016 amendment requiring measures against shipboard harassment and bullying.
Health Examination (Pre-Joining): Seafarer medical fitness certificate under STCW and MLC Regulation 1.2.
Help Onboard Programme: ISWAN-led crew welfare resource pack distributed to shipowners.
Holiday Pay (MLC 2.4): Minimum 2.5 days paid annual leave per month of employment, plus public holidays.
Honorary Chaplain: Volunteer port chaplain appointed under the Mission to Seafarers or Stella Maris in smaller ports.
Hours of Rest (MLC 2.3): Minimum 10 hours rest in 24 hours and 77 hours rest in 7 days for seafarers.
Housing of Crew (MLC 3.1): Accommodation standard for ships built after 20 August 2013.
Human element: Collective term for human, organizational, and cultural factors in casualty causation.

I

Iba Abandonment: 2017-2020 protracted abandonment of the MV Iba in UAE waters, widely cited in MLC enforcement debates.
IBF Agreement: International Bargaining Forum agreement between Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) and ITF setting global FOC wages and conditions.
ICMA: International Christian Maritime Association, the ecumenical body uniting 27 Christian seafarers' welfare organizations.
ICS: International Chamber of Shipping, industry body.
IFSMA: International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations, representing masters on MLC and safety matters.
IMEC: International Maritime Employers' Council, a maritime employers' federation that negotiates within the JNG side of the IBF.
Imo/ILO Joint Tripartite Working Group: Body coordinating responses to abandonment, fair treatment after accidents, and other crew welfare issues.
Indian Seafarers Welfare: Welfare coordinated by NUSI, MUI, and the Directorate General of Shipping's Seafarer Welfare Cell.
Inspectorate (ITF): ITF global network of around 140 inspectors checking CBA compliance on FoC tonnage in port.
International Bargaining Forum: ITF-JNG negotiating forum for crew wages.
International Christian Maritime Association: See ICMA.
International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW): Sister IMO convention to MLC covering competence standards.
International Day of the Seafarer: IMO-designated 25 June, observed by welfare bodies worldwide.
International Labour Conference: ILO tripartite assembly that adopted MLC 2006 in Geneva on 23 February 2006.
International Labour Organization (ILO): UN agency whose 2003 Guidelines on Safety and Health in Shipbreaking remain a key worker-protection benchmark.
International Maritime Employers' Council: See IMEC.
International Seafarers' Welfare Awards: Annual awards organized by ISWAN to recognize welfare excellence.
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF): Global union federation including seafarers.
ISWAN: International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network, registered UK charity.
ITF Inspector: Trained union official authorized to board FoC ships to check CBA coverage and seafarer conditions.
ITF Maritime Coordinator: Senior ITF officer coordinating Inspectorate activity in a region.
ITF Seafarers Trust: Welfare arm of the ITF providing grants for seafarer centers and projects.
ITF Special Agreement: Agreement under which a shipowner agrees to apply an ITF-acceptable CBA to its crew and pay welfare contributions to the Trust.
ITF Standard Agreement: The benchmark wage-and-conditions agreement set unilaterally by the ITF, typically the highest tier.
ITF TCC Agreement: Total Crew Cost agreement, a widely used ITF CBA expressed as total cost per seafarer.

J

Joint Negotiating Group (JNG): Employer side of IBF talks.
Joint Tripartite Working Group: IMO/ILO body addressing seafarer abandonment, fair treatment, and seafarer-related shipping issues.
Junior Officer Welfare: Particular focus area as junior ranks report the highest rates of mental-health issues in welfare surveys.

K

Kerala Seafarers Welfare: State-level Indian welfare board for Keralite seafarers, who form a large share of Indian crew.
Kindergarten at Sea: Welfare initiative documenting separation impact on seafarer families, used by Sailors' Society Wellness at Sea.
Korean Seafarers' Mission: Korean Methodist and Presbyterian seafarers' mission with chaplaincies in major Korean ports and abroad.

L

Labour-Supplying Country: ILO category for major crewing nations such as the Philippines, India, Indonesia, China, Ukraine, and Russia.
Last Port of Call Welfare: Particular attention given to seafarer welfare as a ship enters its final pre-relief port.
Latin American Seafarers' Network: Regional ISWAN-affiliated network for South and Central American port welfare.
Layby Welfare: Welfare provision for crews of vessels in long-term layup, a category with elevated abandonment risk.
Legal Defence Fund: ITF and union fund covering legal costs for seafarers in arrest, detention, or criminalization cases.
Legitimacy of Trade Union: MLC Title 3 protection of freedom of association on board.
Lifeline at Sea: SeafarerHelp branding for its 24/7 multilingual helpline at +44 20 7323 2737.
Lloyd's Register Foundation: Charitable parent of LR established 2012.
London Convention 1894 (Seamen): Early instrument addressing destitute seamen abroad, the lineage of modern repatriation rules.

M

Manning agency: Crewing company supplying personnel.
Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA): US licensed-engineer union providing pension and welfare benefits.
Maritime Charities Group (MCG): UK collaboration of maritime charities, founded 2003, coordinating research and joint grant programs.
Maritime Labour Certificate: Required under MLC for ships of 500 GT and above engaged on international voyages.
Maritime Labour Convention 2006 MLC: ILO instrument applicable up to repatriation of crew at the recycling port.
Maritime Union of India (MUI): Indian union for marine officers, an ITF affiliate.
Mental Health Awareness: Programmatic priority of Sailors' Society, ISWAN, and Mission to Seafarers since 2015.
Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB): UK umbrella charity coordinating port welfare in the United Kingdom.
Merchant Seamen's Memorial: Tower Hill, London, memorial maintained by Trinity House and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Mercy Ships Welfare Adjacency: Hospital-ship charity occasionally cooperating with mainstream seafarer welfare bodies.
Mission to Seafarers: Anglican seafarers' welfare society founded 1856.
MLC 2014 Amendment: Financial-security amendment on abandonment and on death-and-long-term-disability cover, in force 18 January 2017.
MLC 2016 Amendment: Amendment on harassment and bullying and on extension of SEA validity during captivity, in force 8 January 2019.
MLC 2018 Amendment: Amendment on continued contract and wages during seafarer captivity from piracy or armed robbery, in force 26 December 2020.
MLC 2022 Amendment: Amendment on social connectivity, PPE provision for seafarers, and recognition of seafarers as key workers, in force 23 December 2024.
MLC Title 1: Minimum requirements for seafarers to work on a ship.
MLC Title 2: Conditions of employment.
MLC Title 3: Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering.
MLC Title 4: Health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection.
MLC Title 5: Compliance and enforcement.
Mooring of Welfare: Common phrase for the network of port chaplaincies, ITF inspectors, and ISWAN partners providing on-the-ground welfare.
MV Aman: Tanker abandoned at anchor off Adabiya, Egypt, the subject of the longest-recorded modern abandonment case during 2017-2021.
MV Azraqmoiah: UAE-flagged tanker subject to a long-running abandonment case documented by ITF and ISWAN.
MV Tamim Aldar: UAE-flagged offshore-supply vessel subject to a multi-year abandonment case.

N

National Maritime Union (NMU): Former US merchant-marine union, absorbed by SIU North America in 2001.
National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI): Indian ratings union and ITF affiliate.
Nautilus International: Officer-grade UK and Dutch seafarer trade union.
Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change: Industry declaration launched 8 December 2020 calling for designation of seafarers as key workers and resumption of crew changes during COVID-19.
NIS: Norwegian International Ship Register, second register established 1987, administered from Bergen.
No-Cost Repatriation Principle: MLC core rule that seafarers must not bear repatriation costs except in cases of serious default.
Non-Domiciled Crew: Seafarer category often facing additional welfare risks due to distance from home jurisdiction.
Non-Payment of Wages: Trigger under MLC for abandonment status after two months of unpaid wages.
Norwegian Seamen's Mission: English name for Sjømannskirken, founded 1864 in Bergen, operating about 30 Norwegian Seamen's Churches worldwide.
NUMAST: National Union of Marine, Aviation, and Shipping Transport Officers, the UK officers' union that became Nautilus UK and then Nautilus International in 2009.
NUSI Welfare Trust: Welfare arm of NUSI handling seafarer family support and education.

O

Occupational Safety and Health (MLC 4.3): Standard requiring shipowner-led OSH programs and incident reporting.
Officer Welfare: Particular subset of seafarer welfare addressing high-stress senior ranks.
Ombuds Function (Onboard): De-facto role often played by chaplains and welfare visitors during port calls.
Onboard Complaint Procedure: See MLC Regulation 5.1.5.
Onshore Complaint Procedure: See MLC Regulation 5.2.2.
Open registry: Flag state with open access to foreign owners.
Oslo Conference 1948: Founding conference of the ITF FOC campaign.

P

Pacific Maritime Association (PMA): US West Coast employer body bargaining with Sailors' Union of the Pacific and ILWU.
Paid Annual Leave: See MLC 2.4.
Panama Seafarers' Welfare: Welfare delivery in Panama Canal ports, coordinated through ISWAN and Stella Maris.
Pastoral Care at Sea: Cross-faith term used in welfare reports for spiritual support delivered by mission chaplains.
PEME: Pre-Employment Medical Examination required by many owners and P&I clubs.
Piracy Captivity Amendment: MLC 2018 amendment ensuring SEA continues and wages are paid while seafarer is held by pirates or armed robbers.
Piracy Ransom Welfare: Coordinated welfare response to released hostages, often funded by ITF Seafarers' Trust grants.
Port Chaplain: Resident or visiting clergyman serving seafarers in port through ministries such as Stella Maris or The Mission to Seafarers.
Port of Refuge Welfare: Welfare response to crews on vessels granted port of refuge after casualty.
Port State Control (PSC) MLC: Mandate under MLC Regulation 5.2 for port states to inspect compliance, including welfare conditions.
Port-Based Welfare Committee: MLC 4.4-mandated committee in ports providing welfare facilities.
Power of Attorney for Wages: Tool used by ITF inspectors to recover unpaid wages on behalf of seafarers who have left port.
PPE for Seafarers: 2022 MLC amendment requiring shipowner-provided personal protective equipment in correct sizes.
Pre-Joining Briefing: Manning-agency briefing required under MLC Title 1.4.
Prison and Detention Welfare: Mission and union response to seafarers detained ashore on criminal or immigration grounds.

Q

Quality of Life at Sea Survey: Multi-charity initiative tracking welfare indicators across global crew.
Quarantine Welfare: Welfare response to crews under quarantine, prominent during COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks.
Quayside Mission Centre: Common name for mission-operated welfare facilities adjacent to terminals.

R

Ratings: Non-officer seafarers, often the focus of FOC campaign and welfare attention due to lower bargaining power.
Recreational Facilities (MLC 3.1): Standard requirements for recreation rooms, libraries, and internet on ships.
Recruitment and Placement Services (MLC 1.4): Standard requiring licensing, no-fee placement, and complaint mechanisms.
Refusal to sail: Pilot's prerogative to decline pilotage if the ship is unseaworthy for the planned voyage.
Repatriation (MLC 2.5): Standard requiring shipowner to repatriate seafarers at no cost in defined circumstances.
Repatriation Hub Port: Port commonly used for crew change due to immigration and aviation accessibility, such as Singapore, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Fujairah, and Cape Town.
Rest Hours Recording: Mandatory under MLC 2.3 using ILO/IMO model format.
Right to Communicate: 2022 MLC amendment guaranteeing reasonable seafarer access to shore communication.
Risk-Based PSC Targeting: Port-state inspection regime under which abandonment-prone vessels can be flagged for enhanced welfare scrutiny.
Royal Alfred Seafarers' Society: UK charity founded 1865 providing residential care for retired seafarers in Surrey.
Royal Navy Naval Service Welfare: Distinct from merchant welfare, occasionally cooperating via Trinity House and SSAFA.

S

Safer Waves: UK charity specializing in welfare response to sexual violence and abuse at sea.
Sailing Visa: Crew transit visa central to crew-change welfare, governed nationally but referenced in MLC 2.5.
Sailors' Children's Society: UK charity, founded 1821 in Hull, supporting children of seafarers in need.
Sailors' Society: International seafarers' welfare society, founded 1818.
Sailors' Union of the Pacific (SUP): US West Coast deck-rating union, ITF affiliate.
Seafarer: Defined under MLC as any person employed or engaged or working in any capacity on board a ship to which the Convention applies.
Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA): See MLC 2.1.
Seafarer Identity Document (SID): ILO Convention C185 document recognized at port facilities, intersecting with welfare and shore leave.
SeafarerHelp: ISWAN's 24/7 multilingual telephone, email, and chat helpline (+44 20 7323 2737).
Seafarers Hospital Society: UK charity founded 1821 providing health support to merchant seafarers and families.
Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC): Cardiff University research center funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation studying seafarer life and labor.
Seafarers' Charity (formerly Seafarers UK): UK grant-making charity supporting maritime welfare across the British Isles.
Seafarers' Mission: Generic English term for any port-based welfare body serving merchant seafarers.
Seafarers' Rights International (SRI): London-based legal research charity specializing in seafarer law and welfare.
Seafarers' Trust (ITF): See ITF Seafarers' Trust.
Seamen's Christian Friend Society: UK Christian seafarer mission founded 1846, distinct from Sailors' Society.
Seamen's Church Institute (SCI): US Episcopal maritime ministry founded 1834, operating in New York and Houston.
Seamen's House YMCA: Historic New York welfare hostel for merchant seafarers, operated by YMCA.
Seamen's Mission of the Methodist Church: Methodist denomination's pastoral arm to seafarers, often integrated within ICMA.
Seamen's Pension Fund: Generic name for various national seafarer pension institutions in Norway, Greece, Finland, and others.
Section 41 Inspectorate: Internal MLC inspectorate provision in many flag-state laws naming Recognized Organizations to inspect.
Self-Repatriation Cost Recovery: Procedure by which seafarers who have paid for their own repatriation can recover from the financial-security provider.
Ship-Visiting Programme: Core service of port chaplaincies and welfare networks.
Shipboard Welfare Officer: Crew member designated to coordinate welfare activities under MLC 4.3.
Shore Leave (MLC 2.4): Standard requiring seafarers be granted shore leave benefitting their health and well-being and consistent with operational requirements.
Sjømannskirken: Norwegian Seamen's Church and Mission, founded 1864 in Bergen, with around 30 churches worldwide.
Slop chest: Stock of clothing and small articles for crew use.
Social Connectivity Amendment: See MLC 2022 amendment.
Social Security Protection (MLC 4.5): Standard requiring nine branches of social security with at least three covered by the flag or supplying state.
South African Maritime Safety Authority Welfare: SAMSA-administered welfare facilitation in South African ports.
Special Agreement (ITF): See ITF Special Agreement.
STCW Welfare Crossover: Welfare provisions in STCW such as fitness-for-duty and rest hours that complement MLC.
Stella Maris: Apostleship of the Sea Catholic seafarers' welfare network.
Stranded Seafarer: Term used by ISWAN, ITF, and missions for seafarers stuck in port or abroad pending repatriation.
Sub-Committee on Flag State Implementation Welfare: Successor IMO bodies now under III Sub-Committee addressing seafarer welfare implementation.
Suicide prevention at sea: Multi-agency programs by ISWAN, MHSS, and Sailors' Society addressing crew mental health.