Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention, 1958 (No. 108) - Italy (Ratification: 1963)

The Committee notes with regret from the Government’s report that the seafarer’s identity card adopted by Ministerial Decree of 2 February 1981, which was meeting the requirements of the Convention, is no longer issued because the seafarer’s booklet, under section 122 of the Maritime Navigation Code, is also valid as an identity document. The Committee draws the Government’s attention to the following points and hopes that measures will be taken to bring national law and practice relating to the seafarer’s booklet into conformity with the requirements of the Convention.

Article 3 of the Convention. Possession. According to section 221 of the Regulation implementing the Maritime Navigation Code, the seafarer’s booklet is handed over to the master of the vessel. The Committee requests the Government to take steps to ensure that this document shall remain in the seafarer’s possession at all times, in accordance with this Article of the Convention.

Article 4, paragraph 2. Statement. The specimen of the seafarer’s booklet supplied by the Government contains no statement that the document is a seafarer’s identity document for the purpose of this Convention. The Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the statement required in paragraph 2 of Article 4 is added in the seafarer’s booklet. It hopes that the Government will be able to enclose with its next report a copy of the booklet as amended.

Finally, the Committee notes that the Government is considering the possibility of ratifying the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003 (No. 185). The Committee asks the Government to keep it informed on any further developments in this regard, in particular on any consultations held on the matter.