Legal Status of Ship Master
Master is an integral part of a ship. In the case of legal problems of master, there are some questions arised to the scope of his authority to represent the shipowner and other persons with interests in the voyage.
Under the Korean law when a ship is away from her home port, her master has authority to perform every act for the proper execution of the voyage. But when a ship is at her home port, a master's authority is limited to the employment or dismissal of seamen, unless additional express authority is given specifically to him. these authority of master is defined by law, and any resteiction on such the scope, whether in agreement with or by an order to the master, is of no available against third parties who enter into transactions with the master without notice of such restriction.
But nowadays the master can be given instructions by the shipowner and may seek advice from him at any time. So the scope of authority of master should be changed. I think that master just have authority to employ or dismiss seamen and to perform technical act for the proper execution of the voyage when a ship is at her home port or not.