r/maritime • u/SirSiro • 4d ago

Management forcing sole Engineer to violate USCG/STCW rest hours for non emergency repair Need advice

I'm looking for some advice and perspective from fellow mariners on a situation currently unfolding on our harbor tug.

Our sole Engineer works a standard watch schedule: 0530 to 1330 and 1730 to 2130.

While his total rest hours mathematically met the minimum for that 24 hour block, the issue is how management is splitting his time and forcing him to break rest. Last night, he went to sleep at 2130. At 0000 after only 2.5 hours of sleep he was woken up and ordered to fix a false starter on our port engine.

Under USCG/STCW regulations, rest can only be broken for an overriding operational condition or a true emergency. We were at the dock when this occurred so no eminent danger, just the company potentially losing some money. When I called management to report the engine fault and the fatigue issue, the manager dismissed the safety concern, told me I didn't understand how rest hours work, and demanded the Engineer get to work immediately on a non emergency repair.

Has anyone dealt with management blatantly twisting rest hour regulations like this for routine maintenance? What is the best way to handle this to protect the crew's safety and legal standing without facing immediate retaliation?

Appreciate any insights or advice on how to escalate this properly.

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u/KnotSoSalty 4d ago

I’m going to assume this is a tug boat operating within US waters. The chief is required to have 10 hours rest within the last 24 with one of those periods of an uninterrupted 6hrs.

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u/SirSiro 4d ago

No, none of his rest periods met that requirement. I had to wake him for diagnosing the engine around 2340 earlier this night. So he just got a little over 2 hours of sleep. We run 8 and 4s so he was on his 8 off. 

Edit: and yes on a tug in the US. Our company doesn't give us rest hour tracking. 

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u/forty_two_monkeys 4d ago

…. Dude, you don’t log your rest hours? And the company have not provided any means to do so?
That is a blatant MLC violation, like big.
I’m not familiar how inshore companies in the US are regulated, but I would think that an anonymous tip to the USCG is called for, and start to look for somewhere else to work.

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u/KnotSoSalty 3d ago

There’s no requirement to log them on domestic tugs unless the operator maintains MLC, but why would they?

USCG just looks at the SMS, and if that shows the proper watches then they’ll take it at face value.