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Law Professor Emerita Moira McConnell recently authored two chapters in the publication Seafarers: An International Labour Market in Perspective, which was produced by the University of Nantes in France. It is an "open access " book (it can be downloaded without charge) that was funded by the EU.

The book considers the changes in work on board merchant ships. This is the first internationalized sector, due to open registry shipping, search of a skilled and competitive labour force. The 2006 ILO Maritime Labour Convention takes a universal dimension and renews the framework of this sector, including a social certification. Control of ships by the port state contributes to the effectiveness of international standards and their regionalization.

The European social law seeks to integrate the international dimension of this sector, to build a harmonized regional market and to treat shipping companies as any other company. The control of manning companies and the link of seafarers to a social protection system are two particularly complex projects, which might lead to unfair competition.

Although McConnell retired in 2015, she is still affiliated with the Schulich School of Law's Marine & Environmental Law Institute and various graduate programs at Dalhousie.