Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234), article 179

179. (1) Save as hereinafter pro vided, any punishment not restrictive of personal liberty p rovided for by article 171 and by sub-article (1) of article 173, shall be treated as a fine ( multa). (2) Where any wages or effects ar e forfeited for desertion from a ship, those effects may be converted into money, and those wa ges and effects, or the money arising from the conversion of those effects, shall, subject to the re imbursement of the expenses ca used by the desertion of the offender to the master or owner of the ship, be paid to the registrar of the court ordering that forfeiture. (3) For the purposes of the reimbursement of the expenses M E R C H A N T S H I P P I N G [CAP. 234. 95 aforesaid, the master or owner, or his agent, or bareboat chart erer may, if the wages are earned subsequently to the desertion, rec over them in the same manner as the deserter could have recovered th em if not forfeited; and the court in any legal proceeding relatin g to such wages may order the m to be paid accordingly. (4) Where any wages are forfeited for damage caused to the ship, or to her stores or cargo, the forfeiture shall be for th e benefit of the master, or owner or bareboat charterer by whom the wages are payable. Forfeitures and deductions may be determined in suits for wages.