Discipline without a warship's coercive structure

Could a sailor be whipped aboard an East Indiaman as on a Royal Navy ship?

It was possible in theory and depended on the captain, but docking pay or dismissing a sailor was more practical because merchant ships lacked a warship's marines and larger officer corps.

Whether an East Indiaman's captain used whipping depended on the individual captain. It was possible in theory but more difficult to enforce in practice than aboard a Royal Navy ship. Naval officers had marines and a larger officer corps to support discipline. A merchant captain could more readily dock a sailor's pay or dismiss him, so the practical means of exercising authority differed between the services.