50Period of agreements

50 Period of agreements

(1) An agreement that complies with section 46 may be made for a voyage, or, if the voyages of the ship average less than 6 months in duration, may be made to extend over 2 or more voyages, and agreements so made to extend over 2 or more voyages are in this Act referred to as running agreements. (2) A running agreement shall not extend beyond 6 months from the date thereof:

Provided that every such agreement shall, subject to subsections (3), (4) and (5), remain in force until the ship’s arrival at its port of destination, and the crew shall be considered engaged when the agreement is first signed, and discharged when the employment ends.

(3) When a ship, the crew of which have been engaged under a running agreement which has been in force more than 6 months, reaches a port in Australia other than its port of destination, and the ship is not then proceeding, either directly or by intermediate ports, to the port of discharge mentioned in the agreement, the master may discharge any seaman, and any seaman may obtain his or her discharge. (4) No seaman shall be discharged, nor be entitled to be discharged, under subsection (3), unless he or she has received from, or given to, the master, on any day other than Saturday and at least 24 hours before the ship leaves the port, 24 hours’ notice of the proposed or required discharge. (5) Any seaman discharged, or who claims his or her discharge, under subsection (3), shall be entitled to receive from the master or owner: (a) a free passage to the proper return port of the seaman; (b) wages, at the rate provided for in his or her agreement, until he or she arrives at the proper return port; (c) where a passage to the proper return port is not made available to the seaman at the time he or she is discharged and it is necessary for the seaman to obtain accommodation ashore, an allowance for victualling and accommodation at the rate of $2 per day or at such other rate as is provided for in the seaman’s agreement, whichever is the higher, for the period during which it is necessary for the seaman to reside ashore and until the passage to the proper return port is made available; and (d) where the passage provided to the proper return port is otherwise than by sea, an allowance for victualling at the rate of $1.50 per day or at such other rate as is provided for in the seaman’s agreement, whichever is the higher, for the period occupied by the journey:

Provided that if his or her return to the proper return port is delayed by any act or default of the seaman, he or she shall not be entitled to wages or allowance for victualling and accommodation during the period of the delay.

(6) Victualling and accommodation allowances provided for in this section may be sued for and recovered by the seaman in the same manner as wages.