77 hours rest in 168 hours explained
Weekly rolling rest is the check that catches cumulative strain on passenger vessels. It sits under passenger vessel rest-hour compliance, beside the 10 hours in 24 hours limit.
Quick Answer
Under the Norwegian main rule, a seafarer must have at least 77 hours of rest in any 168-hour period. That is a weekly rolling window, not “this calendar week”. A vessel can look acceptable day to day while repeated small shortfalls accumulate. The daily 10-hour rest cannot be used as a substitute for this weekly check.
Official Sources
- Sjøfartsdirektoratet: Arbeids- og hviletid for sjøfolk — Norwegian Maritime Authority guidance on work and rest hours for seafarers.
- STCW Code Section A-VIII/1: Fitness for duty — Official Norwegian publication of the STCW fitness-for-duty rest requirements.
- Ship Safety and Security Act (LOV-2007-02-16-9) — Section 24 sets the Norwegian minimum rest hours of 10h/24h and 77h/168h.
- ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) — Standard A2.3 covers maximum work hours and minimum rest hours.
Why it matters onboard
A scheduled service can run “one more evening trip” for weeks. Each day still has a rest period. The person may be short on rest by Friday because Monday through Thursday has already used much of the weekly rest margin. Cover watches and vessel swaps make the same pattern worse, because each vessel’s own log can look calm.
How it is documented
STCW A-VIII/1 sets a minimum of 77 hours of rest in any seven-day period. Under Norwegian Ship Safety and Security Act section 24, the main rule is at least 77 hours in any 168-hour period. Daily rest records provide the evidence of how the requirement was met. When the records are reviewed over a week, the question is whether the actual work/rest record meets the requirement — not whether the season timetable looked compliant.
Keep actual hours in a digital rest-hour logbook so the weekly window can be counted from work that happened, including time on another vessel.
What operators need to consider
Review per person, not per vessel. Plan peak season against 168-hour rest before publishing extra sailings. If a collective agreement allows a temporary weekly reduction, document the decision and the compensating rest — and never treat that path as a way around the daily 10 hours.
How MarRest handles it
MarRest evaluates one 168-hour window at each calendar day-end and at relevant report checkpoints, using the same logged work as the 24-hour calculation. It does not test every possible rolling 168-hour endpoint. What-if preview uses the same checkpoint method without changing the work/rest record. Monthly reports present the result for account sign-off and review.