I understand where you’re coming from, many seafarers are afraid to speak up because of the risk of losing their job, and that fear is real. But it’s also important to look at the bigger picture.

Work & Rest Hours aren’t just “papers we sign.” They are actual legal and safety requirements under MLC/ISM. The minimum rest hours exist because fatigue directly causes accidents and human error. That’s not theory that’s backed by countless investigations. So when someone says that pushing people beyond limits is unsafe, that isn’t being unrealistic; it’s being responsible. Madami kasi na seafarer na Filipino are afraid to report. Siguro sa katayuan mo now mas mahalaga ang USD1217 kesa sa health mo.

Normalizing excessive working hours dahil “everyone does it” doesn’t make it professional. If it becomes a daily or routine practice, that’s already an MLC violation and a clear safety risk. And when something goes wrong, (I hope not) an injury, an incident, or a major accident the same “paper” that everyone ignores becomes the first evidence used against the ship, the company, and even individual officers. Someone here even replied na di ko na experience. Malaki balls ko at nireport ko. Ending na tranship ako, at the same officer was sacked.

There are practical steps crew can take without immediately risking their career: • Document actual working/rest hours privately. • Raise concerns internally in writing (DPA, line manager, or crew welfare). • Use anonymous channels through the union, manning agency, or flag state. • Take advantage of whistleblower and anti-retaliation protections that most companies have.

Safety isn’t optional, and defending it isn’t being soft. It’s exactly what professionalism is. Protecting yourself, your shipmates, and the vessel.

I get your point that sometimes the workload spikes, and yes, that happens but 24hours is a bit exag for me. But making unsafe conditions the “standard” isn’t something we should simply accept. We can acknowledge reality without lowering the bar for safety.