ILO Has updated the minimum monthly basic pay or wage figure for able seafarers.

The Governing Body of the International Labour Office, has convened a meeting of the Subcommittee on Wages of Seafarers of the Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) in Geneva on the 14th and 15th of April 2025 to update the ILO minimum basic wage of able seafarers.

The meeting has reached an agreement to increase the ILO minimum monthly basic wage for an able seafarer from its current level of $673 in 2025 to $690 from January 2026, then to $704 from January 2027, and to $715 from January 2028. The increases amount to annual increases of 2.5%, 2.0%, and 1.6%, or a 6.2% increase over the three years. This formula has helped to raise the minimum wage from $286 in October 1987.

The wage figure that were discussed in the negotiations is grounded in a methodology adopted by the JMC in its 26th Session (October 1991), which considers a representative list of maritime nations and major suppliers of seafarers, average exchange rates, and also take into account worldwide consumer price indicator.