STCW 2010
CHAPTER VIII
Standards regarding watch-keeping
Section A-VIII/1 Section B-VIII/1 Alcohol
Fitness for duty
1 Administrations shall take account of the danger posed by fatigue of seafarers, especially those whose duties involve the safe and secure operation of a ship.
Standard clauses (Go to Exception Clause)
2 All persons who are assigned duty as officer in charge of a watch or as a rating forming part of a watch and those whose duties involve designated safety, prevention of pollution and security duties shall be provided with a rest period of not less than:
. 1 a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period; and
. 2 77 hours in any 7-day period.
3 The 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 intervals between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours.
4 The requirements for rest periods laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3 need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or in other overriding operational conditions. 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.
5 Administrations shall require that watch schedules be posted where they are easily accessible. The schedules shall be established in a standardized format* in the working language or languages of the ship and in English.
6 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.
7 Administrations shall require that records of daily hours of rest of seafarers be maintained in a standardized format*, in the working language or languages of the ship and in English, to allow monitoring and verification of compliance with the provisions of this section. The seafarers shall receive a copy of the records pertaining to them, which shall be endorsed by the master or by a person authorized by the master and by the seafarers. (Multi-language support is now available)
8 Nothing in this section 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.
Accordingly, the master may suspend the schedule of 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 shall ensure that any seafarers who have performed work in a scheduled rest period are provided with an adequate period of rest
* The IMO/ILO Guidelines for the development of tables of seafarers’ shipboard working arrangements and formats of records of seafarers’ hours of work or hours of rest may be used.
9 Parties may allow exceptions from the required hours of rest in paragraphs 2.2 and 3 above provided that the rest period is not less than 70 hours in any 7-day period. Exceptions from the weekly rest period provided for in paragraph 2.2 shall not be allowed for more than two consecutive weeks. The intervals between two periods of exceptions on board shall not be less than twice the duration of the exception.
The hours of rest provided for in paragraph 2.1 may be divided into no more than three periods, one of which shall be at least 6 hours in length and neither of the other two periods shall be less than one hour in length. The intervals between consecutive periods of rest shall not exceed 14 hours. 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.
10 Each Administration shall establish, for the purpose of preventing alcohol abuse, a limit of not greater than 0.05% blood alcohol level (BAC) or 0.25 mg/l alcohol in the breath or a quantity of alcohol leading to such alcohol concentration for masters, officers and other seafarers while performing designated safety, security and marine environmental duties.
It must be noted that a ship may be detained if conditions are violated.
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, security 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:
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 watch-keeping or other duties;
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
The provisions may be varied for ships on short sea voyages, provided special safety arrangements are put in place.
4. Exceptions provided for in section A-VIII/1, paragraph 9, should be construed to mean the exceptions laid down by the ILO Convention on Seafarers’ Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships, 1996 (No.180) or the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, when it enters into force.
The circumstances under which such exceptions are applied should be defined by the Parties.
5. Based on information received as a result of investigating maritime casualties, Administrations should keep their provisions on prevention of fatigue under review.
Prevention of drug and alcohol abuse
6. Drug and alcohol abuse directly affect the fitness and ability of a seafarer to perform watch-keeping duties or duties that involve designated safety, prevention of pollution and security duties. Seafarers found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol should not be permitted to perform watch-keeping duties or duties that involve designated safety, prevention of pollution and security duties, until they are no longer impaired in their ability to perform those duties.
* See the annex to IMO Assembly resolution A.772(18) on Fatigue factor in manning and safety, paragraphs 2 to 4.4.1 and MSC/Circ.1014. on Guidance on fatigue mitigation and management.