Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234), article 158

158. (1) If the master of, or a s eaman or appren tice belonging to, a Maltese ship receives any hu rt or injury in the service o f the ship, or suffers from any illness (not being an illness due to his own wilful act or to his own misbeha viour), the expenses of providi ng the necessary surgical and medi cal advice and attendance and medicine, and also the expenses of the maintenance of the maste r or seaman or apprentice until he is cured, dies, or is returned to a proper return port, including any period during which he is unemployed after he has been cured and before he has been returned to a proper return port, and of his conveyance to the port, and, in the case of death, the expenses, if any, of the repatri ation of the deceased and his burial, shall be defrayed by the owner of the ship, without any deduction on t hat account from his wages: Provided that an owner shall not be liable by virtue of this article to pay the expenses of t he maintenance of any person du ring any period after he has been cured or of his conveyance to a pr oper return port if he shows that that person has failed to accept s uitable employment on board a Maltese ship proceeding within a reasonable time to a proper return port or had failed to comply with any other reasonable arrangements made for his return to a prop er return port. (2) If the master or seaman or apprentice is, on account of any illness, temporarily removed from his ship for the purpose of preventing infection, or otherwise for the convenience of the s hip, and subsequently returns to his duty, the expenses of the remov al and of providing the necessary advice and attendance and medicine, and of his maintenance while away from the ship shall be defrayed in like manner. (3) The expenses of all medicin es, surgical and medical advice and attendance given to a master or seaman or apprentice whilst on board his ship shall be defrayed in like manner. 86 CAP. 234.] MERCHANT SHIPPING (4) In all other cases any reasonable expenses duly incurred by the owner or bareboat charterer for any seaman or apprentice in respect of illness, and also any reasonable expenses duly incur red by the owner or bareboat chartere r in respect of the repatriati on of the deceased and of the burial of any seaman or apprentice who dies whilst on service shall, if duly p roved, be deducted from the w ages of the seaman or apprentice. Recovery of expenses from owner. Amended by: I.2025.59.