The STCW Code has been amended regarding hours of rest so it is now in line with International

Labour Organisation (ILO) and United Kingdom Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) requirements.

Known as the 2010 Manila Amendments to the STCW Code, which entered into force on 1st January,
2012, for all parties to the Convention, (except Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, New
Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal), the regulations now require a minimum of 10 hours
rest in any 24 hour period and 77 hours in any 7 day period.

Hours of rest may be summarised as follows:-

1. A minimum of 10 hours rest is required to be provided in any 24 hour period;

2. The periods of rest may be divided into no more than two periods, one of which shall be at least six
hours in length.

3. Intervals between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours;

4. A minimum of 77 hours rest is required in any seven day period.

Seafarers should be reminded that rest periods are stipulated in 24 hour periods and seven day periods,
not one day and one week. In other words, the clock does not start ticking at 0001 hours and/or
Monday. A Port State Control or Flag surveyor can check the hours in ANY 24 hour and/or seven day
period.

The above requirements do not apply in the case of emergency or in other overriding operational
conditions. Musters and drill shall be conducted in a manner that causes minimum disruption to rest
periods and does not induce fatigue.

When a watch keeper is on call, e.g. an engineer officer on UMS duty, adequate and compensatory rest
period shall be provided if the normal period of rest is disturbed by callouts to work.

Parties may allow exceptions from the required hours of rest provided that the rest period is not less
than 70 hours in any 7 day period and on certain conditions, namely:-

i. Such exceptional arrangements shall not be extended for more than two consecutive weeks.
The intervals between two periods of exceptions shall not be less than twice the duration of
the exception;
ii. ii. The hours of rest may be divided into no more than three periods, one of which shall be
at least 6 hours and none of the other two periods shall be less than one hour in length;
iii. The intervals between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours; and
iv. . Exceptions shall not extend beyond two 24-hour periods in any 7-day period.

Exceptions shall, as far as possible, take into account the guidance regarding prevention of fatigue in
section B-VIII/1.
Six hours on / Six hours off.

Working ‘sixes’ may, in theory, appear to meet the criteria under STCW 2010, thus avoiding
infringements of the Hours of Work and Rest regulations. However, there are other factors which need
to be considered.

STCW sets out appropriate guidance for taking over the watch such the procedures will need to be
carried out before the relieving watchkeeper takes over the watch.

Hence, the relieving officer will need to be at their place of work (bridge, engine control room, etc.)
before the commencement of their watch and the officer to be relieved cannot leave until the handover
is complete.

Therefore, when watchkeepers are working ‘sixes’, the Master and/or owners will need to be able to
demonstrate that the handover period is successfully carried out without reducing the 6 hours rest time

MLC 2006 requires that each Member State shall fix either a maximum number of hours of work, or
minimum number of hours of rest, for a given period of time for all seafarers. In keeping with this
requirement, the Isle of Man Ship Registry has elected to continue with its current requirements and has
established a minimum hours of rest standard with which shipowner must comply.

“Hours of rest” means time outside hours of work and does not include short breaks.

The minimum requirement for hours of rest provided should be:

1. 10 hours in any 24-hour period, which may be divided into no more than 2 periods, one of
which shall be at least 6 hours in length, and no more than 14 hours between any consecutive
periods; and
2. 77 hours in any 7 day period.

The hours of rest can be divided in a maximum of two periods, one of which should be at least six hours
in length. Two such consecutive periods should not be separated by more than 14 hours.

A seafarer must be granted a compensatory rest period in case he/she is required to be on call during
rest hours.

Comparing STCW Code from MLC 2006 states that the two don’t have any contradictions when it comes
to their resting hours. Both have a minimum of 10 hours rest required in any 24-hour period and also
can be divided into 2 periods. They also both have the 77 hours rest in any 7 day period.