Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234), article 130

130. ( 1 ) W h e r e t h e s e r v i c e o f a seaman or of an apprentice belonging to a Maltese ship terminates otherwise than by the consent of the seaman to be discharged during the currency of t he agreement, the master of the ship shall, besides giving the certificate of discharge required under this Act and besides pa ying the wages to which the seaman or apprentice is entitled, make adequate provision in accordance with this Act for his maintena nce and for his return to a proper return port, and if the service terminates at a port in which there is a registrar or a Maltese consular officer, such officer shall endorse upon the agreement with the crew of the ship which the seaman or apprentice is leaving the particulars of any provision so made. (2) If the master fails, withou t reasonable cause, to comply with this article, the expenses of maintenance and of the journ ey to the proper return port - M E R C H A N T S H I P P I N G [CAP. 234. 75 (a) if defrayed by the seaman or apprentice, shall be recoverable as wages due to him; (b) if defrayed by any such officer as aforesaid or by any other person, shall (unless the seaman has been guilty of barratry) be a charge on the ship to which the seaman or the apprentice belonged, and may also be recovered against the person who is the owner of the ship for the time being or, where the ship has been lost, against the person who was the owner of the ship at the time of the loss, or, where the ship has been transferred t o s o m e p e r s o n n o t b e i n g a M a l t e s e c i t i z e n o r n o t being a body corporate established under the laws of Malta either against the owner for the time being or against the person who was the owner at the time of the transfer, at the suit of the person defraying the expenses, or, in the case th ey have been allowed out of public money, as a debt due to the Government of Malta. Payment of wages Time of payment of wages. Amended by: I.2025.51.