Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1949

8 Issue for cargo ships of safety-equipment certificates and exemption certificates

(1) If the Minister, on receipt of declarations of survey in respect of a British ship registered in the United Kingdom, not being a passenger steamer, is satisfied that the ship complies with the rules for life-saving appliances applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as she is to be engaged on, and that she is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making fog-signals required by the collision regulations, he shall, on the application of the owner, issue in respect of the ship a certificate showing that the ship complies with such of the requirements of the Safety Convention relating to those matters as are applicable as aforesaid ; and any certificate issued under this subsection is hereafter in this Act referred to as a " safety-equipment certificate ".

(2) If the Minister, on the receipt of declarations of survey in respect of any such ship as aforesaid, is satisfied that the ship is exempt, by virtue of any exercise by him of a power in that behalf conferred on him by this Act or conferred on him by the rules for life-saving appliances, from any of the requirements of those rules applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as she is to be engaged on, and that she complies with the rest of those requirements and is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making fog-signals required by the collision regulations, he shall, on the application of the owner, issue in respect of the ship—

(a) an exemption certificate stating which of the requirements of the Safety Convention, being requirements the subject of the rules for life-saving appliances and applicable as aforesaid, the ship is exempt from and that the exemption is conditional on the ship's plying only on the voyages and complying with the other conditions (if any) specified in the certificate, and

(b) a certificate showing that the ship complies with the rest of those requirements;

and any certificate issued under paragraph (b) of this subsection is hereafter in this Act referred to as a " qualified safety-equipment certificate ".