Whenever any seafarer of a South African ship or other treaty ship is convicted by any court of the Republic, or any seafarer of a South African ship is convicted by a court of a treaty country other than the Republic, of desertion or absence without leave or other breach of discipline, the court shall, if the voyage has not yet been completed, and if the master or any ship's officer or the owner or his agent so requires, instead of imposing upon him any fine or sentence of imprisonment, cause him to be conveyed on board for the purpose of proceeding on the voyage: Provided that the court may decline to exercise this power in any particular case, if for any reason it  thinks it advisable so to decline.

[Section 321 substituted by section 29(d) of Act No. 12 of 2015]