Part VII Articles 212 to 214 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 states as follows:
212: Official logs to be kept and to be dated(1) An official log shall be kept in the prescribed form in every Indian ship except a home-trade ship of less than two hundred tons gross.(2) The official log may, at the discretion of the master or owner, be kept distinct from or united with the ordinary ship’s log so that in all cases the spaces in the official log book be duly filled up.
213: Entries in the official log books: how and when to be made(1) An entry required by this Act in the official log book shall be made as soon as possible after the occurrence to which it relates, and, if not made on the same day as that occurrence, shall be made and dated so as to show the date of the occurrence and of the entry respecting it and if made in respect of an occurrence happening before the arrival of the ship at her final port of discharge, shall not be made more than twenty-four hours after that arrival.(2) Save as otherwise provided in this Act, every entry in the official log book shall be signed by the master and by the mate or some other member of the crew and also -(a) if it is an entry of injury or death, shall be signed by the medical officer on board, if any; and
(b) if it is an entry of wages due to or the property of a seaman or apprentice who dies, shall signed by the mate and by some member of the crew besides the master.(3) Every entry made in an official log book in the manner provided by this Act shall be admissible in evidence.
214: Entry of details pertaining to an offence(1) The master of a ship for which an official log is required shall enter or cause to be entered in the official log book the following matters, namely:(a) every conviction by a legal tribunal of a member of his crew and the punishment inflicted;(b) every offence committed by a member of his crew for which it is intended to prosecute or to enforce a forfeiture or exact a fine, together with such statement concerning the reading over of that entry and concerning the reply (if any) made to the charge as is by this Act required;(c) every offence for which punishment is inflicted on board and the punishment inflicted;(d) a report on the quality of work of each member of his crew, or a statement that the master declines to give an opinion thereon with a statement of his reasons for so declining;
In a nutshell, the following gives you a simplified version of entering details regrading the offences in the Official Log book. Some details are explained in the following topics
If any offence within the meaning of this Act of desertion or absence without leave or against discipline is committed, or if any act of misconduct is committed for which the offender’s agreement imposes a fine and it is intended to enforce the fine:
- An entry of the offence or act shall be made in the official log book and signed by the Master, the mate and one of the crew; and,
- The offender, if still in the ship, shall, before the next subsequent arrival of the ship at any port, or, if she is at the time in port, before her departure there from, be furnished with a copy of the entry and have the same read over distinctly and audibly to him and, who may thereupon make such reply thereto as he thinks fit; and,
- A statement of a copy of the entry having been so furnished and the entry having been read over and the reply, if any, made by the offender shall likewise be entered and signed in a manner as stated against the first bullet; and,
- In any subsequent legal proceedings the entries as made in accordance with this section, shall, if practicable, be produced or proved, and, in default of such production of proof, the Court hearing the case, may in its discretion, refuse to receive evidence of the offence or act of misconduct.