Circular 58 / 2012

To: Vessel Managers, Masters, Officers, Deputy Registrars, Surveyors and Other Interested
Parties

Subject: Guidelines for the Development of Tables of Seafarers’ Shipboard Working

Arrangements and Formats of Records of Seafarers’ Hours of Work or Hours of Rest

Date: 19 June 2013

Summary:

Maritime Cook Islands draws recipients of this circular, to the guidelines below, when establishing or
reviewing tables for shipboard working arrangements and formats for recording hours of work and
rest.

For further information or clarification please contact the Registrar of Ships, a Deputy Registrar or
Fleet Manager at Maritime Cook Islands; alternatively you may contact Maritime Cook Islands Head
Office at +682 23848 Phone, +682 23846 Fax, info@maritimecookislands.com

Please ensure this has been forwarded to interested parties.

Maritime Cook Islands, P.O Box 882, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Phone: +682 23 848, Facsimile: +682 23 846, Skype: mcicooks2
Email: info@maritimecookislands.com Website: www.maritimecookislands.com
 APPENDIX 1
Seafarers’ Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships
Convention, 1996 (No. 180)

PART I SCOPE AND DEFINITIONS

Article 1
1 This Convention applies to every seagoing ship, whether publicly or
privately owned, which is registered in the territory of any Member for
which the Convention is in force and is ordinarily engaged in commercial
maritime operations. For the purpose of this Convention, a ship that is on
the register of two Members is deemed to be registered in the territory of
the Member whose flag it flies.
2 To the extent it deems practicable, after consulting the representative
organizations of fishing-vessel owners and fishermen, the competent
authority shall apply the provisions of this Convention to commercial
maritime fishing.
3 In the event of doubt as to whether or not any ships are to be regarded
as seagoing ships or engaged in commercial maritime operations or
commercial maritime fishing for the purpose of the Convention, the
question shall be determined by the competent authority after consulting
the organizations of shipowners, seafarers and fishermen concerned.
4 This Convention does not apply to wooden vessels of traditional build
such as dhows and junks.

Article 2
For the purpose of this Convention:
(a) the term ‘‘competent authority’’ means the minister, government
department or other authority having power to issue regulations,
orders or other instructions having the force of law in respect of
seafarers’ hours of work or rest or the manning of ships;
(b) the term ‘‘hours of work’’ means time during which a seafarer is
required to do work on account of the ship;
(c) the term ‘‘hours of rest’’ means time outside hours of work; this
term does not include short breaks;
(d) the term ‘‘seafarer’’ means any person defined as such by
national laws or regulations or collective agreements who is
employed or engaged in any capacity on board a seagoing ship
to which this Convention applies;

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 (e) the term ‘‘shipowner’’ means the owner of the ship or any other
organization or person, such as the manager or bareboat
charterer, who has assumed the responsibility for the operation
of the ship from the shipowner and who on assuming such
responsibility has agreed to take over all the attendant duties and
responsibilities.

PART II SEAFARERS’ HOURS OF WORK

AND HOURS OF REST
Article 3
Within the limits set out in article 5, there shall be fixed either a maximum
number of hours of work which shall not be exceeded in a given period of
time, or a minimum number of hours of rest which shall be provided in a
given period of time.
Article 4
A Member which ratifies this Convention acknowledges that the normal
working hours’ standard for seafarers, like that for other workers, shall be
based on an eight-hour day with one day of rest per week and rest on
public holidays. However, this shall not prevent the Member from having
procedures to authorize or register a collective agreement which
determines seafarers’ normal working hours on a basis no less favourable
than this standard.
Article 5
1 The limits on hours of work or rest shall be as follows:
(a) maximum hours of work shall not exceed:
(i) 14 hours in any 24-hour period; and
(ii) 72 hours in any 7-day period;
or
(b) minimum hours of rest shall not be less than:
(i) 10 hours in any 24-hour period; and
(ii) 77 hours in any 7-day period.
2 Hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of
which shall be at least 6 hours in length, and the interval between
consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours.
3 Musters, fire-fighting and lifeboat drills, and drills prescribed by national
laws and regulations and by international instruments shall be conducted in
a manner that minimizes the disturbance of rest periods and does not
induce fatigue.
4 In respect of situations when a seafarer is on call, such as when a
machinery space is unattended, the seafarer shall have an adequate
compensatory rest period if the normal period of rest is disturbed by call-
outs to work.

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5 If no collective agreement or arbitration award exists or if the
competent authority determines that the provisions in the agreement or
award in respect of paragraphs 3 or 4 are inadequate, the competent
authority shall determine such provisions to ensure the seafarers concerned
have sufficient rest.
6 Nothing in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall prevent the Member from having
national laws or regulations or a procedure for the competent authority to
authorize or register collective agreements permitting exceptions to the
limits set out. Such exceptions shall, as far as possible, follow the standards
set out but may take account of more frequent or longer leave periods or
the granting of compensatory leave for watchkeeping seafarers or seafarers
working on board ships on short voyages.
7 The Member shall require the posting, in an easily accessible place, of
a table with the shipboard working arrangements, which shall contain for
every position at least:
(a) the schedule of service at sea and service in port; and
(b) the maximum hours of work or the minimum hours of rest
required by the laws, regulations or collective agreements in
force in the flag State.
8 The table referred to in paragraph 7 shall be established in a
standardized format in the working language or languages of the ship and
in English.

Article 6
No seafearer under 18 years of age shall work at night. For the purpose of
this article, ‘‘night’’ means a period of at least nine consecutive hours,
including the interval from midnight to five a.m. This provision need not be
applied when the effective training of young seafarers between the ages of
16 and 18 in accordance with established programmes and schedules
would be impaired.

Article 7
1 Nothing in this Convention shall be deemed to impair 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.
2 In accordance with paragraph 1, the master may 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.
3 As soon as practicable after the normal situation has been restored, the
master shall ensure that any seafarers who have performed work in a
scheduled rest period are provided with an adequate period of rest.

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Article 8
1 The Member shall require that records of seafarers’ daily hours of work
or of their daily hours of rest be maintained to allow monitoring of
compliance with the provisions set out in article 5. The seafarer shall
receive a copy of the records pertaining to him or her which shall be
endorsed by the master, or a person authorized by the master, and by the
seafarer.
2 The competent authority shall determine the procedures for keeping
such records on board, including the intervals at which the information
shall be recorded. The competent authority shall establish the format of the
records of the seafarers’ hours of work or of their hours of rest taking into
account any available International Labour Organization guidelines or shall
use any standard format prepared by the Organization. The format shall be
established in the language or languages provided by article 5,
paragraph 8.
3 A copy of the relevant provisions of the national legislation pertaining
to this Convention and the relevant collective agreements shall be kept on
board and be easily accessible to the crew.

Article 9
The competent authority shall examine and endorse the records referred to
in article 8, at appropriate intervals, to monitor compliance with the
provisions governing hours of work or hours of rest that give effect to this
Convention.

Article 10
If the records or other evidence indicate infringement of provisions
governing hours of work or hours of rest, the competent authority shall
require that measures, including if necessary the revision of the manning of
the ship, are taken so as to avoid future infringements.

PART III MANNING OF SHIPS

Article 11
1 Every ship to which this Convention applies shall be sufficiently, safely
and efficiently manned, in accordance with the minimum safe manning
document or an equivalent issued by the competent authority.
2 When determining, approving or revising manning levels, the
competent authority shall take into account:
(a) the need to avoid or minimize, as far as practicable, excessive
hours of work, to ensure sufficient rest and to limit fatigue; and
(b) the international instruments identified in the Preamble.

Article 12
No person under 16 years of age shall work on a ship.

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PART IV RESPONSIBILITIES OF SHIPOWNERS AND
MASTERS
Article 13
The shipowner shall ensure that the master is provided with the necessary
resources for the purpose of compliance with obligations under this
Convention, including those relating to the appropriate manning of the
ship. The master shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the
requirements on seafarers’ hours of work and rest arising from this
Convention are complied with.

PART V APPLICATION
Article 14
A Member which ratifies this Convention shall be responsible for the
application of its provisions by means of laws or regulations, except where
effect is given by collective agreements, arbitration awards or court
decisions.

Article 15
The Member shall:
(a) take all necessary measures, including the provision of appro-
priate sanctions and corrective measures, to ensure the effective
enforcement of the provisions of this Convention;
(b) have appropriate inspection services to supervise the application
of the measures taken in pursuance of this Convention and
provide them with the necessary resources for this purpose; and
(c) after consulting shipowners’ and seafarers’ organizations, have
procedures to investigate complaints relating to any matter
contained in this Convention.

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 APPENDIX 2
Relevant requirements of the International
Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for
Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995,
and of the STCW Code

Regulation VIII/1
Fitness for duty
Each Administration shall, for the purpose of preventing fatigue:
.1 establish and enforce rest periods for watchkeeping personnel; and
.2 require that watch systems are so arranged that the efficiency of all
watchkeeping personnel is not impaired by fatigue and that duties
are so organized that the first watch at the commencement of a
voyage and subsequent relieving watches are sufficiently rested
and otherwise fit for duty.

Section A-VIII/1
Fitness for duty
1 All persons who are assigned duty as officer in charge of a watch or as
a rating forming part of a watch shall be provided a minimum of 10 hours
rest in any 24-hour period.
2 The hours of rest may be divided into no more than 2 periods, one of
which shall be at least 6 hours in length.
3 The requirements for rest periods laid down in paragraphs 1 and 2
need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or drill or in other
overriding operational conditions.
4 Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, the minimum
period of 10 hours may be reduced to not less than 6 consecutive hours
provided that any such reduction shall not extend beyond 2 days and not
less than 70 hours of rest are provided each 7-day period.
5 Administrations shall require that watch schedules be posted where
they are easily accessible.

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Section B-VIII/1
Guidance regarding fitness for duty
Prevention of fatigue
1 In observing the rest period requirements, ‘‘overriding operational
conditions’’ should be construed to mean only essential shipboard work
which cannot be delayed for safety or environmental reasons or which
could not reasonably have been anticipated at the commencement of the
voyage.
2 Although there is no universally accepted technical definition of
fatigue, everyone involved in ship operations should be alert to the factors
which can contribute to fatigue, including, but not limited to those
identified by the Organization,* and take them into account when making
decisions on ship operations.
3 In applying regulation VIII/1, the following should be taken into
account:
.1 provisions made to prevent fatigue should ensure that excessive
or unreasonable overall working hours are not undertaken. In
particular, the minimum rest periods specified in section A-VIII/1
should not be interpreted as implying that all other hours may be
devoted to watchkeeping or other duties;
.2 that the frequency and length of leave periods, and the granting
of compensatory leave, are material factors in preventing fatigue
from building up over a period of time; and
.3 the provisions may be varied for ships on short-sea voyages,
provided special safety arrangements are put in place.
4 Administrations should consider the introduction of a requirement that
records of hours of work or rest of seafarers should be maintained and that
such records are inspected by the Administration at appropriate intervals to
ensure compliance with regulations concerning working hours or rest
periods.
5 Based on information received as a result of investigating maritime
casualties, Administrations should keep their provisions on prevention of
fatigue under review.

* See IMO resolution A.772(18), Fatigue factors in manning and safety, paragraphs 2 to 4.4.1.

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 APPENDIX 3

BE Model format for a table of shipboard working arrangements 1

Name of ship:___________________________ Flag of ship:______________ IMO number (if any):________________ Latest update of table:________________ ( ) of ( ) pages
The maximum hours of work or minimum hours of rest are applicable in accordance with: ______________________ (national law or regulation) issued in conformity with ILO’s Seafarers’
Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180), and with any applicable collective agreement registered or authorized in accordance with that Convention and
with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW Convention).2
Maximum hours of work or minimum hours of rest:3___________________________
Other requirements:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4
Position/Rank Scheduled daily work hours at sea Scheduled daily work hours in port Total daily work/rest 3 hours
Watchkeeping Non- Watchkeeping Non- Comments At sea In port
(from – to) watchkeeping (from – to) watchkeeping
duties duties
(from – to) 5 (from – to) 5

Signature of master _______________________________________________________________________

______________________________
1
The terms used in this model table are to appear in the working language or languages of the ship and in English.
2
See overleaf for selected extracts from ILO Convention 180 and the STCW Convention.
3
Delete as applicable.
4
For those positions/ranks that are also listed in the ship’s safe manning document, the terminology used should be the same as in that document.
5
For watchkeeping personnel, the comments section may be used to indicate the anticipated number of hours to be devoted to unscheduled work and any such hours
should be included in the appropriate total daily work hours column.

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Selected texts from ILO Convention 180 and the STCW Convention

ILO Convention 180

Art. 5 paragraph 1 The limits on hours of work or rest shall be as follows: (a) maximum hours of work shall not exceed: (i) 14 hours in any 24-hour period; and (ii) 72 hours in any 7-day
period; or (b) minimum hours of rest shall not be less than: (i) 10 hours in any 24-hour period; and (ii) 77 hours in any 7-day period.
Art. 5 paragraph 2 Hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which shall be at least 6 hours in length, and the interval between consecutive periods of rest shall
not exceed 14 hours.
Art. 5 paragraph 6 Nothing in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall prevent the Member from having national laws or regulations or a procedure for the competent authority to authorize or register
collective agreements permitting exceptions to the limits set out. Such exceptions shall, as far as possible, follow the standards set out but may take account of more
frequent or longer leave periods or the granting of compensatory leave for watchkeeping seafarers or seafarers working on board ships on short voyages.
Art. 7 paragraph 1 Nothing in this Convention shall be deemed to impair 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.
Art. 7 paragraph 3 As soon as practicable after the normal situation has been restored, the master shall ensure that any seafarers who have performed work in a scheduled rest period
are provided with an adequate period of rest.

STCW Convention
Section A-VIII/1 of the STCW Code (mandatory)
1. All persons who are assigned duty as officer in charge of a watch or as a rating forming part of a watch shall be provided a minimum of 10 hours rest in any 24-hour
period.
2. The hours of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which shall be at least 6 hours in length.
3. The requirements for rest periods laid down in paragraph 1 and 2 need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or drill or in other overriding operational
conditions.
4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, the minimum period of 10 hours may be reduced to not less than 6 consecutive hours provided that any such
reduction shall not extend beyond 2 days and not less than 70 hours of rest are provided each 7-day period.
5. Administrations shall require that watch schedules be posted where they are easily accessible.
Section B-VIII/1 of the STCW Code (guidance)
3. In applying regulation VIII/1, the following should be taken into account:
.1 provisions made to prevent fatigue should ensure that excessive or unreasonable overall working hours are not undertaken. In particular, the minimum rest
periods specified in section A-VIII/1 should not be interpreted as implying that all other hours may be devoted to watchkeeping or other duties;
.2 that the frequency and length of leave periods, and the granting of compensatory leave, are material factors in preventing fatigue from building up over a
period of time; and
.3 the provisions may be varied for ships on short-sea voyages, provided special safety arrangements are put in place.

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 APPENDIX 4

BE Model format for record of hours of work or hours of rest of seafarers

1

Name of ship: ______________________________ IMO number (if any): _________________________ Flag of ship: __________________ _________ Page 1 of 2
Seafarer (full name): ________________________________________________________ Position / rank: _________________________
Month and year: ___________________________________________________________ Watchkeeper:2 yes & no &

Record of hours of work/rest 3

Please mark periods of work or rest, as applicable, with an X, or using a continuous line or arrow.

COMPLETE THE TABLE ON THE REVERSE SIDE

The following national laws, regulations and/or collective agreements governing limitations on working hours or minimum rest periods apply to this ship:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I agree that this record is an accurate reflection of the hours of work or rest of the seafarer concerned.

Name of master or person authorized by master to sign this record _______________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of master or authorized person ____________________________________________ Signature of seafarer ____________________________________________

A copy of this record is to be given to the seafarer. This form is subject to examination and endorsement under procedures established by
(name of competent authority)
______________________________
1
The terms used in this model table are to appear in the working language or languages of the ship and in English.
2
Check as appropriate.
3
Delete as appropriate.

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 Page 2 of 2

Please mark periods of work or rest, as applicable, with an ``X'', or using a continuous line or arrow

NOT TO BE COMPLETED BY THE SEAFARER1

Hours of
Hours 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 rest in
24-hour Comments
period Hours of work or rest, Hours of work or rest,
as applicable, in any as applicable, in any
Date 24-hour period2 7-day period2

Hours 00 0 1 0 2 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 1 1 12 13 14 15 1 6 17 1 8 19 20 21 22 2 3

1
For completion and use in accordance with the procedures established by the competent authority in compliance with the relevant requirements of the Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships
Convention, 1996 (Convention No. 180).
2
Additional calculations or verifications may be necessary to ensure compliance with the relevant requirements of the Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (Convention No. 180)
and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping, 1978, as amended (STCW Convention).

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