Logbook (Master)

The master’s logbook is the official log kept under the master’s authority, recording statutory and disciplinary matters required by the flag-state administration in addition to the navigational record. Under SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 28 the ship keeps a record of navigational activities sufficient to reconstruct the voyage; national law then mandates an official log book for crew engagements and discharges, births and deaths aboard, drills, inspections, and offences. The master is responsible for both records and certifies the entries. The official log book is a legal instrument: false or omitted entries carry penalties under the flag state’s merchant shipping legislation, and the book is surrendered to the authorities at the end of a voyage or crew agreement.