69. Powers of court in case of unreasonable delay in paying crew member’s wages

In any action or other legal proceedings by any crew member of a ship for the recovery of any sum due to him or her on account of wages, the court may, if it appears that the payment of the sum due has been delayed otherwise than owing to the act or default of the crew member or to any reasonable dispute as to liability, or to any other cause not being the wrongful act or default of the person liable to make the payment, order that person to pay, in addition to any sum due on account of wages, any sum that the court thinks just as damages in respect of the delay, without affecting any claim which may be made by the crew member on that account.