Under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006(‘MLC’):
- A seafarer has the right to regulated hours of work and hours of rest.
- Hours of work are stated as either maximum hours of work, or minimum hours of rest:
- The maximum hours of work must not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period, and 72 hours in any seven-day period; or
- The minimum hours of rest must not be less than 10 hours in any 24-hour period, and 77 hours in any seven-day period.
- Hours of rest means time spent outside of work on account of the ship. It does not include short breaks.
- Hours of rest may be divided into two periods, one of which must be at least 6 hours. The interval between periods of rest must not be longer than 14 hours.
- Account must be taken of the danger posed by the fatigue of seafarers.
- Any mandatory musters or drills must be conducted in a way that minimises disturbances of rest hours and does not induce fatigue.
- A schedule/table of service at sea and service at port for all positions must be posted on the ship. It must be in the working language of the ship and in English.
- A record of a seafarer’s daily hours of rest or hours of work must be kept on board in the working language of the ship and in English, and must be signed by the seafarer and the master or other authorized person. The seafarer must be given a copy.
- In the event of an emergency or to give assistance to other ships or persons in distress at sea, the master can suspend the work schedule until the problem is resolved. If normal working hours are disrupted, a seafarer is entitled to an adequate compensatory rest period.
