Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73not60
§10509 Penalty for Failing to Begin Voyage
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle II— Vessels and Seamen › Part G— Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief › Chapter 105— COASTWISE VOYAGES › § 10509
Summary
If a seaman is not on board at the agreed time and did not give 24 hours' notice, the seaman loses half a day's pay for every hour late. That pay is taken from wages only if the lateness is written in the ship’s official log on the same day. If a seaman never reports or runs away (deserts), they lose all wages. These rules do not apply to fishing or whaling vessels or to yachts.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §10509
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)A seaman who fails to be on board at the time contained in the agreement required by section 10502 of this title, without having given 24 hours’ notice of inability to do so, shall forfeit, for each hour’s lateness, one-half of one day’s pay to be deducted from the seaman’s wages if the lateness is recorded in the official logbook on the date of the violation.
(b)A seaman who does not report at all or subsequently deserts forfeits all wages.
(c)This section does not apply to a fishing or whaling vessel or a yacht.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource section (U.S. Code) 1050946:576 This section provides for a reduction in the wages of seamen who arrive late for voyages, if their late arrival is noted in the official logbook. It does not apply to fishing vessels, whaling vessels or yachts.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 10509
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60