Malaysia legislation

Section 39

of Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960

Section 39

No seaman who has been engaged to do duty on any ship in compliance with this

Ordinance shall, during the time for which he is then engaged, be liable to be arrested on civil process, unless the debt or demand exceeds the sum of five hundred dollars:

Provided that the term “seaman” in this section means a person who has, within the space of six months previously, served on board a ship for wages as a seaman, and that the protection from arrest hereby granted shall not be held to extend to any person not coming within such definition, or in any case to any officer of the ship.

Relief of distressed seamen.