Dutch shipowners are under scrutiny after the Equal Justice Equal Pay Foundation accused them of paying Filipino and Indonesian seafarers significantly less than their Dutch counterparts. The foundation claims that the current wage structure, which ties pay to the cost of living in a seafarer’s country of residence, results in foreign crew earning less than half of what Dutch crew make.
Marine Insight
More than 13,000 seafarers have joined the foundation’s mass claim, and the group has sent letters to about 700 Dutch shipping firms, demanding compensation and an end to what it says is “structural unequal treatment.”
Marine Insight
The foundation argues that linking wages to a seafarer’s home-country living costs is outdated and discriminatory. It also points out that two non-binding rulings by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, issued on 18 August 2025, found that the pay-structure based on country of residence “is not sufficiently justified.”
In response, the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR) strongly defends the system. KVNR’s director Annet Koster said foreign seafarers usually spend their leave in their home country, so their pay reflects local living costs. She clarified that Filipino seafarers who relocate to the Netherlands do receive wages on the Dutch level.
KVNR also noted that within the Dutch maritime workforce, Filipino, Indonesian, and Dutch seafarers often fill different roles. According to their data, Dutch crew are more likely to occupy senior positions (such as officers), which naturally carry higher pay.
The association added that the pay system is long-established, globally common in maritime labor, and overseen under the framework of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Meanwhile, the Dutch government’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has launched a study to examine the potential impact on the maritime sector if the residence-based wage principle is abolished.
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Source: MarineInsight
