Seafarers' Rights provides the reader with a systematic analysis of the rights of seafarers in the context of the international shipping industry, showing how they are made up of a combination of national and international laws, drawn from a number of sources including maritime law, labour law and international human rights law. Central chapters on these topics are dealt with on an international basis, and complemented by 12 chapters covering key national regimes of particular importance in terms of shipping.

The book demonstrates how the seafarer, working in a truly global industry, often falls between the gaps in national and international law. As a result seafarers often have inadequate legal protections. Seafarers' Rights seeks to document the rights and remedies available to seafarers, highlight the problem areas, examine the legal systems of certain seafaring nations and port states and suggest areas that are ripe for legal reform. Countries covered in the national chapters include Brazil, China, Norway, Russia, South Africa, UK and the US.