ILO Convention No. 185, adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2003 to bolster international security in the global sea shipping industry, received its second ratification from Jordan in August. Since it was previously ratified by France, it will go into force in February 2005.

Convention No. 185, adopted to replace the Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention No. 108 (1958), has been hailed as a major step toward strengthening security measures on the high seas and in the world's ports. At the same time, it is designed to ensure the rights and freedoms of maritime workers and facilitate mobility in the exercise of their profession-for example when they board their ships to work, take shore leave or return home.

In the framework of Convention No. 185, the Governing Body of the ILO approved in March 2004 a biometric verification system, which provides a more rigorous response to the need for increased security in the maritime industry.