STCW rest hours for passenger vessels
STCW A-VIII/1 is the international rest-hour backbone for passenger vessel watchkeeping. The working parent page is passenger vessel rest-hour compliance.
Quick Answer
STCW Section A-VIII/1 is the fitness-for-duty rest standard for watchkeeping: at least 10 hours rest in any 24 hours and 77 hours in any seven days, plus daily rest records endorsed by the master and the seafarer, in the working language and in English. On Norwegian passenger vessels this sits with MLC 2006 Standard A2.3 and the Ship Safety and Security Act section 24. STCW-F is fishing-specific and does not apply here.
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
Captains may be asked for daily rest records, an English copy, and the required endorsements. On a ferry the operational pressure is cover watches and split days, not deep-sea voyage planning. The standard is still A-VIII/1. Records reconstructed shortly before inspection are harder to explain than records maintained routinely.
How it is documented
STCW calls for records of each seafarer’s daily hours of rest in a standardized format, in the working language and English, endorsed by the master and seafarer, with a personal copy. Those records are used to show 10h/24h, 77h/7-day rest, and split rest, rather than relying on a separate poster of limits.
A digital rest-hour logbook is the practical form of that file. Inspection compares the plan with the actual record.
What operators need to consider
Do not mix fishing citations (STCW-F, ILO C188, FOR-2017-11-10-1758) into passenger-vessel records. Keep English available where the applicable rules require it. MLC uses either a maximum-work model or a minimum-rest model; MarRest evaluates the 10/77 rest model, not both alternatives simultaneously.
How MarRest handles it
MarRest is built to support the documentation A-VIII/1 and section 24 expect: actual hours, 24-hour checks at hourly checkpoints, 168-hour checks at daily/report checkpoints, monthly account sign-off, and language choice including English. The software does not certify compliance or replace the operator’s legal assessment.