46 CFR 15.1111: Work hours and rest periods for watchstanders

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section sets minimum rest for watch officers, watch ratings and personnel with designated safety, prevention of pollution, and security duties on vessels operating beyond the boundary line. It requires 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours in any 7-day period. It also covers schedules, records, on-call rest, emergencies and exceptions.

Applies toEvery person assigned duty as Officer in Charge of a Navigational or Engineering Watch, Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational or Engineering Watch, or designated safety, prevention of pollution, and security duties onboard any vessel that operates beyond the boundary line.

What it says

  1. Covered persons must receive a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period.

    46 CFR 15.1111(a)(1)“A minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period; and”

  2. Covered persons must also receive 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

    46 CFR 15.1111(a)(2)“77 hours of rest in any 7-day period.”

  3. Rest may be split into no more than two periods in any 24-hour period. One period must be at least 6 hours long, and the interval between consecutive rest periods must not exceed 14 hours.

    46 CFR 15.1111(b)“may be divided into no more than two periods in any 24-hour period, one of which must be at least 6 hours in length, and the interval between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.”

  4. The Master must post watch schedules where they are easily accessible.

    46 CFR 15.1111(f)“The Master must post watch schedules where they are easily accessible.”

  5. Records of daily hours of rest must be kept onboard the vessel.

    46 CFR 15.1111(g)“Records of daily hours of rest must be maintained onboard the vessel.”

  6. A seafarer on call must have an adequate compensatory rest period if call-outs to work disturb the normal rest period.

    46 CFR 15.1111(h)“the seafarer must have an adequate compensatory rest period if the normal period of rest is disturbed by call-outs to work.”

  7. The Master may suspend the rest schedule and require work needed for the immediate safety of the ship, persons onboard, or cargo, or to assist others in distress at sea.

    46 CFR 15.1111(i)“The Master of the vessel may suspend the schedule of hours of rest and require a seafarer to perform any hours of work necessary for the immediate safety of the ship, persons onboard, or cargo”

  8. In exceptional circumstances, exceptions to the weekly rest requirement and to paragraph (b) must not be less than 70 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

    46 CFR 15.1111(j)(2)“Exceptions to paragraphs (a)(2) and (b) of this section must not be less than 70 hours of rest in any 7-day period.”

Common questions

How many hours of rest must watchstanders get in 24 hours?

They must receive a minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period.

“A minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period; and”

Do the rest requirements apply during an emergency or drill?

No. The requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) need not be maintained in an emergency, a drill, or other overriding operational conditions.

“The requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or drill or in other overriding operational conditions.”

Can required rest time be used for watchkeeping?

No. The minimum period of rest required under paragraph (a) may not be devoted to watchkeeping or other duties.

“The minimum period of rest required under paragraph (a) of this section may not be devoted to watchkeeping or other duties.”

Who gets a copy of the rest records?

Each affected person under paragraph (a) must receive a copy of the records pertaining to them. The Master or a person authorized by the Master, and the seafarer, endorse the copy.

“Each affected person under paragraph (a) of this section must receive a copy of the records pertaining to them”

The text of 46 CFR 15.1111

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Work hours and rest periods

(a) Every person assigned duty as Officer in Charge of a Navigational or Engineering Watch, or duty as Ratings Forming Part of a Navigational or Engineering Watch, or designated safety, prevention of pollution, and security duties onboard any vessel that operates beyond the boundary line, as described in part 7 of this chapter, must receive—

(1) A minimum of 10 hours of rest in any 24-hour period; and

(2) 77 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

(b) The hours of rest required under paragraph (a) of this section may be divided into no more than two periods in any 24-hour period, one of which must be at least 6 hours in length, and the interval between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.

(c) The requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section need not be maintained in the case of an emergency or drill or in other overriding operational conditions.

(d) The minimum period of rest required under paragraph (a) of this section may not be devoted to watchkeeping or other duties.

(e) Watchkeeping personnel remain subject to the work-hour limits in 46 U.S.C. 8104 and to the conditions under which crewmembers may be required to work.

(f) The Master must post watch schedules where they are easily accessible. They must cover each affected person under paragraph (a) of this section, and must take into account the rest requirements of this section as well as port rotations and changes in the vessel's itinerary.

(g) Records of daily hours of rest must be maintained onboard the vessel. Each affected person under paragraph (a) of this section must receive a copy of the records pertaining to them, which will be endorsed by the Master or by a person authorized by the Master and by the seafarer.

(h) For every seafarer on call, such as when a machinery space is unattended, the seafarer must have an adequate compensatory rest period if the normal period of rest is disturbed by call-outs to work.

(i) The Master of the vessel may suspend the schedule of hours of rest and require a seafarer to perform any hours of work necessary for the immediate safety of the ship, persons onboard, or cargo, or for the purpose of giving assistance to other ships or persons in distress at sea. As soon as practicable after the situation has been restored, the Master must ensure that any seafarer who has performed work in a scheduled rest period is provided with an adequate period of rest.

(j) In exceptional circumstances, the Master may authorize exceptions from the hours of rest required under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section provided that:

(1) The hours of rest provided for in paragraph (a)(1) of this section may be divided into no more than three periods, one of which must be at least 6 hours in length, and neither of the other two periods are permitted to be less than one hour in length.

(i) Exceptions to paragraph (a)(1) of this section must not extend beyond two 24-hour periods in any 7-day period; and,

(ii) The intervals between consecutive periods of rest must not exceed 14 hours.

(2) Exceptions to paragraphs (a)(2) and (b) of this section must not be less than 70 hours of rest in any 7-day period.

(3) Exceptions to paragraph (a)(2) of this section are not allowed for more than two consecutive weeks, and the intervals between two periods of exceptions to paragraph (a)(2) must not be less than twice the duration of the longer exception.

Sections it refers to

  • 46 U.S.C. 8104
  • part 7 of this chapter

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.