Relevant documents and M-notices: Merchant Shipping Act 1995 section 77, The Merchant Shipping (Official Log Books) Regulations 1981, A masters guide to the UK flag, OLB guidance notes (front cover of OLB)
Who has to carry one?
The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 Section 77 (modified by the Merchant Shipping (Official Log Books) Regulations 1981 and The Merchant Shipping (Small Workboats and Pilot Boats) Regulations 2023) requires that:
…an official log book in a form approved by the Secretary of State shall be kept in every United Kingdom ship.
The exceptions to this are:
Ships belonging to a General Lighthouse Authority
Ships of less than 25GT
Pleasure yachts
Remotely operated unmanned vessels
The General Lighthouse Authorities for the UK are (as per S193 of MS 1995) the Trinity House, the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Ships of less than 25GT and pleasure yachts are self-explanatory. As for remotely operated unmanned vessels, note that the original act (1981) used the phrase ‘in every United Kingdom ship); given that an unmanned ROV has nobody onboard to keep the official log book, it doesn’t make sense to have it onboard. Log books for unmanned ROVs are kept at the remote operation centre for that vessel.
‘A form approved by the Secretary of State’ means the log books that are provided, free of charge, to British flagged vessels. These are obtained by contacting the MCA.
How is it used?
The Official Log Book is a series of statement of fact made by a person of authority. It is used by the master, with occasional requirements for signatures from other persons.
When keeping the Official Log Book, bear in mind that:
No white-out (Tipex or other correction fluid) is to be used.
No pages are to be removed
No strike-through is to be used
Instead, if a mistake has been made in an entry, make an entry referring to and correcting the earlier entry. It’s an offence to fail to keep the Official Log Book or to make incorrect entries.
If an entry is required which would be unwieldy or take up too much space in the OLB, it is acceptable to annexe a document to the OLB and refer to it in an entry.
When are entries made?
…entry shall be made as soon as practicable after the occurrence to which it relates or, if it amends or cancels an existing entry, as soon as practicable after the person intending to sign it becomes aware of the facts giving rise to the amendment or cancellation.
Use as evidence
The OLB and any appended documents are admissible in evidence in legal proceedings. The OLB and appended documents do not require supporting evidence to be admissible; they are considered legal statements of fact.
Who can ask to see it
Officers of the flag state may ask to see the the OLB at any time; not to comply with this request is an offence. Officers of the flag state are:
Any departmental officer
Any commissioned naval officer
Any British consular officer
The Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen
Any chief officer of customs and excise
Any superintendent
When is it opened?
A new OLB should be started every six months after the first entry was made in the previous OLB. A new OLB may also be started if the previous OLB runs out of space in any section.
When should it be sent to the proper officer?
The OLB should be sent to the Registrar of Shipping and Seamen within 48 hours of:
The ship arriving at a port more than 6 months after the first entry was made
or
The last person employed on the ship under a crew agreement being discharged from the vessel
Sections and entries of the OLB
The best source of information on the sections and entries of the OLB is the Masters Guide to the UK flag. section 4. However, consider the following a good general guide.
Front cover
These are the details of the ship; name, port of registry, gross tonnage, official number etc. It also includes the names of each master of the ship, as well as the details and address of the registered owner, or managing owner, manager etc. The final part of this section is the date and place that the log book is opened.
Record of seamen employed in the ship
This section consists of a list of all seafarers employed on the ship, with a reference number against each. This should be filled in when each seafarer joins the ship. If a seafarer leaves and returns while the same OLB is open, they should be entered again. This section also forms an index; against the name of the seafarer are entered the page numbers of any entry regarding them made in the narrative section.
Births and deaths
This section is unique in that it requires the signature of a non-crew member; in the section for births the signature of the mother is required. For deaths, the signatures of the master and a member of the crew are required. Note that as the master is not a doctor they should give cause of death as ‘presumed’ or ‘suspected’ unless this has been certified onboard by a doctor or coroner.
Musters and drills
This is a record of musters, drills, training, instruction given and inspections. Each entry is dated, and signed by the master and a member of the crew. An entry should be made if a drill or muster should have been carried out but was not, giving the reason (i.e. excessively poor weather making it dangerous to have done so). A postponed or cancelled drill must take place at the next available opportunity.
Record of test drills and inspections of steering gear
Steering gear must be tested within 12 hours before sailing and emergency steering systems must be tested every 3 months. Again, this requires the signature of the master and an officer.
Record of inspections of crew accommodation
An inspection of crew accommodation should be carried out every 7 days. The inspection must be carried out by the master (it cannot be delegated) and a member of crew, usually the chief steward/head of housekeeping. All entries must be signed by the master and a member of the crew.
Record of inspections of food and water
Inspections of the quantity and quality of food and water must be carried out at least once every week. These are signed by the master and a member of the crew.
Load line, depth of loading etc.
The necessary data can be found in the ships load line certificate. This should be completed when the OLB is opened, or on the issue of a new LL certificate.
Dates of departure from and arrival at each dock
This includes draughts and freeboards of the ship on departure and arrival. It must be completed on departure. There is a requirement to post this same information, copied to MSF 2004; the posting of this is recorded in the next section of the OLB:
Posting the MSF 2004 (formerly FRE 13) Form
This must be filled in and ported in a place accessible to the crew on sailing.
Narrative section
I won’t provide an exhaustive list of entries to the narrative section. See the Merchant Shipping (Official Log Books) Regulations 1981, ‘The schedule’ and page 17 of A Masters Guide to the UK Flag. However, know that the first entry should state the ships working language. Every entry must be signed by the master and a member of the crew.
If a complaint is made by three of more members of the crew with regards provisions or water, an entry must be made in the narrative section, including details of action taken by the master relating to the complaint.
MCAQs
Who has to carry an OLB?
Who is exempt from carrying an OLB? (Same question as above, but worded differently!)
What legislation requires the carriage of an OLB and lays out the entries that should be made?
When should an entry be made in the narrative section of the OLB? (Think elapsed time, when you realise that…)
How should you correct an entry in the OLB?
How would you go about handing over the OLB, as off-signing master, to the joining master?
What are the sections of the OLB? What kind of entries are required in each of these?
You want to find all narrative section entries concerning one particular crew member. How would you do this?