Rest Time on Board: Regulations, Responsibility, and Real Practice

1. Why This Topic Matters

Life at sea never stops. Ships operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week — navigation, machinery, and safety watchkeeping continue around the clock.
That is why international maritime labour standards are built around one key principle:
to ensure a minimum rest period and prevent fatigue, regardless of operational demands.Rest is not just a welfare issue — it is a safety-critical requirement.
Fatigue, sleep deprivation, and excessive workload directly lead to navigation errors, accidents, and injuries.
Every major convention highlights this: fatigue management is a matter of safety, not comfort.

2. The Main International Framework

MLC 2006 (Maritime Labour Convention)

Standard A2.3 defines clear minimums:

• at least 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period;

• at least 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period;

• rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which must be at least 6 hours, and the interval between them must not exceed 14 hours.

Temporary exceptions (e.g., drills, emergencies, or situations concerning safety of ship or persons) are allowed but must be followed by compensatory rest.
For seafarers under 18 years of age, higher standards apply.

ILO Convention C180 (Seafarers’ Hours of Work and Manning, 1996)

Echoes the MLC standards but adds an important point:
if the ship’s manning or work organisation makes it impossible to comply with the rest limits, this is considered a systemic management failure, not an individual breach by crew members.

STCW (Section A-VIII/1)

Sets mandatory requirements for watchkeeping personnel and the recording of rest hours.
All drills, alarms, or required onboard training count as working hours and should not systematically reduce the required rest periods.

IMO/ILO Guidelines on Fatigue Management

Recommend integrating fatigue risk management systems into the ISM Code.
This includes analysing voyage schedules, reviewing manning levels, and adjusting watch systems for port-intensive operations.

Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)

Agreements such as ITF/IBF outline additional protection:

• mandatory work/rest hour records;

• payment for overtime;

• procedures for compensatory rest when the minimum is breached.

All CBAs must meet or exceed the MLC and STCW requirements.

3. What Counts as Rest

Rest means any time when a seafarer is completely free from duties and responsibilities and may use the time at their discretion.The following do not count as rest:

• navigation or engine-room watches;

• maintenance or repair work;

• drills, alarms, or cargo operations;

• periods of “stand-by” or immediate readiness for duty.

Meal breaks can be included in rest time only if the seafarer is genuinely off duty.

4. Recording of Rest Hours

The primary document is the Work/Rest Hours Record.
It must be completed daily and signed by both the seafarer and the Master (or Chief Officer) at least weekly.Copies are kept on board and in the ship manager’s office. Even if electronic systems are used, a printed version must be available for inspection.PSC and MLC inspectors compare rest records with logbooks, watch schedules, port calls, and drill registers.
Systematic violations (e.g., rest periods shorter than 6 hours, or more than 14 hours between rests) are reported as non-conformities.
False records are treated as serious breaches of the MLC.

5. Exceptions and Compensation

The rules allow exceptions only in situations concerning safety or emergency:

• accidents or threats to the ship, cargo, or crew;

• participation in rescue operations;

• essential emergency or safety drills.

The Master must record each case and provide compensatory rest as soon as practicable.
Frequent or routine exceptions without compensation indicate systemic non-compliance with international standards.

6. Officers and Ratings: Same Limits – Different Work Organisation

Rest hour limits are the same for all crew ranks, but work patterns differ.

• For ratings, the working day is organised by watch systems — typically 4/8, 6/6, or port duty cycles 12/12 — with detailed hour-by-hour records of actual work.

• For officers, duties include not only watches but also administrative and technical work: planning maintenance, reporting, and communication with port authorities.

These extra tasks do not exempt officers from MLC and STCW limits.
Regardless of rank, each crew member must have at least 10 hours of rest per day and 77 hours per week.Different responsibilities — equal right to rest.

7. Challenging Operational Situations

• Port-intensive trades. Frequent calls and cargo operations fragment work-rest patterns. Solutions include task redistribution, rescheduling drills, and increased manning.

• UMS (Unmanned Machinery Space). Engineers may be called at night, breaking continuous rest; compensatory rest is mandatory.

• DP operations (offshore vessels). High mental workload requires strict adherence to the 6-hour uninterrupted rest rule to prevent cognitive fatigue.

• Drills and alarms. Permitted at any time but must not regularly interrupt required rest.

8. The Role of Trade Unions

Unions such as ITF and IBF play a key role in enforcing rest-hour compliance.
They:

• define approved recording formats;

• ensure compensatory rest is granted;

• include disciplinary and corrective provisions in CBAs.

On ITF-covered ships, consistent rest-hour violations result in non-conformity reports, and companies must correct manning or work schedules accordingly.

9. Responsibility and Control

• The Master is responsible for the enforcement of rest-hour limits and the accuracy of records.

• The Company or Manager is responsible for manning and operational planning that ensures compliance.

• PSC and MLC Inspectors evaluate both documents and actual onboard conditions.

Systemic breaches may result in observations, deficiencies, or even vessel detention until the problem is resolved.

10. Key Parameters (Summary)

11. Conclusion

Rest-hour rules are not bureaucracy — they are a foundation of safety and human sustainability at sea.
MLC and STCW provide the minimum, but real compliance depends on how shipowners and crews manage operations day to day:

• realistic scheduling,

• transparent and honest records,

• prompt recovery after deviations.

When applied correctly, these principles ensure ships operate efficiently — and seafarers stay safe, alert, and protected in accordance with international maritime law.