What are the STCW and MLC hours of work and rest, does a 10-hour day with meal breaks comply, and how does STCW prevent fatigue?
Short answer
| Limit | Work option | Rest option |
|---|---|---|
| Any 24-hour period | 14 h maximum | 10 h minimum |
| Any 7-day period | 72 h maximum | 77 h minimum |
| Division of rest | — | no more than two periods, one at least 6 h, never more than 14 h between them |
| Meal breaks | count as work time removed | short breaks, not hours of rest |
- Limits (STCW A-VIII/1 = MLC A2.3): work at most 14 h in 24 h and 72 h in 7 days, or rest at least 10 h in 24 h and 77 h in 7 days.
- Division: rest in no more than two periods, one at least 6 h; never more than 14 h between rest periods.
- Scenario: 07:00 to 19:00 with two 1 h meal breaks is 10 h of work; meal breaks are short breaks, so rest is the 12 h overnight: compliant.
- Trap: 10 h every day is 70 h a week, close to the 72 h maximum: legal, but fatigue builds; compliance is a floor.
- STCW anti-fatigue: rest limits and division rule, watch systems arranged so efficiency is not impaired (A-VIII/2), posted schedule and rest records, compensatory rest, B-VIII/1 guidance.
- As Chief Engineer: plan the work within the limits (MS Act 2025 s.57 in India), endorse the records honestly, escalate a department that cannot run within them.
Full answer
The full answer explains each point step by step, with the regulations and figures behind it and the discussion from other candidates. It is in the MEO Class I section of the Marine One forum, open to members enrolled for the MEO Class I exam.