MLC 2006 rest hours, explained for the crew who have to log them

What the rules actually say

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (Standard A2.3) sets minimum rest for seafarers. Flag states apply either a maximum-hours-of-work or a minimum-hours-of-rest regime; most yachts and commercial vessels record rest. The rest regime has six tests that every day is checked against.

• 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 split into no more than two periods in any 24 hours.
• One of those periods must be at least 6 hours long.
• The gap between consecutive rest periods must not exceed 14 hours.
• Exceptions (drills, emergencies) must be recorded and compensatory rest given.

What a compliant day looks like

A watchkeeper on a 4-on/8-off rotation gets two 8-hour rest blocks: passes. A deckhand who works 06:00–14:00, rests 14:00–18:00, works 18:00–23:00 and rests 23:00–06:00 has two rest periods (4 h and 7 h = 11 h, one ≥ 6 h): passes. Add a 01:00 anchor watch in the middle of that night and the long rest splits in two — now three periods in 24 hours: fails.

Where crews usually fall foul

• Guest turnaround days — a 16-hour day breaks the 14-hour gap rule even if total rest is fine.
• Split night watches that turn one rest period into two short ones.
• Logging a whole week on Sunday from memory — the record is legal evidence, and reconstructed weeks rarely survive a port state inspection.
• Not recording drills as work.

Keeping the record without the spreadsheet

The practical answer is to log each day the same day, on a phone, and let software run the six checks. In iVessel each crew member enters their rest strip in under a minute; the day is marked pass or fail with the rule it failed, the captain sees a fleet overview of who is non-compliant, and the monthly record sheet exports as a PDF in the standard layout. It works offline and syncs later, which matters when you are the one on watch.

Checklist for a compliant setup

• Decide which regime your flag applies (rest or work hours).
• Set the vessel's normal watch pattern so exceptions stand out.
• Log daily, not weekly.
• Record drills and emergencies as work, with compensatory rest noted.
• Export and sign the monthly sheet; keep 12 months on board.