C2.3.h. Do the hours of rest or work standards still apply in an emergency?

Standard A2.3, paragraph 14 of the MLC, 2006 safeguards the right of the master of a ship to require a seafarer to perform any hours of work necessary for the immediate safety of the ship, persons on board or cargo, or for the purpose of giving assistance to other ships or persons in distress at sea. It allows the master to suspend the schedule of hours of work or hours of rest and require a seafarer to perform any hours of work necessary until the normal situation has been restored. As soon as practicable after the normal situation has been restored, the master must ensure that any seafarers who have performed work in a scheduled rest period are provided with an adequate period of rest.

Hours of work and hours of rest