Singapore legislation
Section 95
Section 95
Accommodation
(1)
Every place in a British ship, being a home-trade ship or a local-trade ship registered within Singapore, occupied by or appropriated to the use of an Asian seaman or apprentice shall be not less in space than 2.04 cubic metres nor than 1.11 square metres measured on the deck or floor of that place:Provided that, in the case of ships built before 1st January 1940 “1.02 cubic metres” shall be substituted for “2.04 cubic metres” and “0.56 square metres” shall be substituted for “1.11 square metres”.
(2)
Every place in a British ship, not being a home-trade ship nor a local-trade ship registered within Singapore, occupied by or appropriated to the use of a seaman or apprentice in any of the following cases:
in the case of the seaman or apprentice being either a European or an Asian and of the ship —
having been registered before 1st December 1906;
having been in course of construction on 1st January 1907; or
being not more than 300 tons;
in the case of the seaman or apprentice being a lascar; or
in the case of the seaman or apprentice being an Asian and of the ship being registered in Singapore and employed only in trading or going within the tropics between the 40th degree of east longitude and the 160th degree of east longitude,shall not be less in space than 2.04 cubic metres nor than 1.11 square metres measured on the deck or floor of that place.
(3)
Every place in a British ship occupied by or appropriated to the use of a seaman or apprentice in any case not specified in subsections (1) and (2) shall be not less in space than 3.4 cubic metres nor than 1.39 square metres measured on the deck or floor of that place.
(4)
To give effect to subsections (1) to (3), sections 79 and 210 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 [U.K. 1894 c. 60] and section 64 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1906 [U.K. 1906 c. 48] so far as they require a larger amount of space to be appropriated to the use of an Asian seaman, are by virtue of section 735 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 hereby repealed as regards ships registered in Singapore.
(5)
In estimating the space available for the proper accommodation of seamen and apprentices under subsection (3), there may be taken into account the space occupied by any mess rooms, bath rooms or washing places appropriated exclusively to the use of those seamen and apprentices, so however that the space in any place appropriated to the use of those seamen or apprentices in which they sleep is not less than 2.04 cubic metres and 1.11 square metres for each seaman or apprentice.
(6)
In every case the place shall be securely constructed, properly lighted and ventilated, properly protected from weather and sea, and as far as practicable properly shut off and protected from effluvium which may be caused by cargo or bilge water.
(7)
If any of the requirements of subsections (1) to (6) is not complied with in the case of any ship, the owner of the ship shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for each offence to a fine not exceeding $400.
(8)
Every place so occupied and appropriated shall be kept free from goods and stores of any kind not being the personal property of the crew in use during the voyage.
(9)
If any such place is not so kept free, the master shall forfeit and pay to each seaman or apprentice lodged in that place the sum of $1 for each day during which after complaint has been made to him by any two or more of the seaman so lodged it is not so kept free.[109