Supreme Court Act 1981

24 Supplementary provisions as to Admiralty jurisdiction

(1) In sections 20 to 23 and this section, unless the context otherwise requires—

• " collision regulations " means regulations under section 418 of the [1894 c. 60.] Merchant Shipping Act 1894, or any such rules as are mentioned in section 421(1) of that Act, or any rules made under section 421(2) of that Act;

• " goods " includes baggage;

• " master " has the same meaning as in the Merchant Shipping Act 1894, and accordingly includes every person (except a pilot) having command or charge of a ship;

• " the Rhine Navigation Convention " means the Convention of the 7th October 1868 as revised by any subsequent Convention;

• " ship "includes any description of vessel used in navigation and (except in the definition of " port" in section 22(2) and in subsection (2)(c) of this section) includes, subject to section 2(3) of the [1968 c. 59.] Hovercraft Act 1968, a hovercraft;

• " towage" and " pilotage", in relation to an aircraft, mean towage and pilotage while the aircraft is water-borne.

(2) Nothing in sections 20 to 23 shall—

(a) be construed as limiting the jurisdiction of the High Court to refuse to entertain an action for wages by the master or a member of the crew of a ship, not being a British ship;

(b) affect the provisions of section 552 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (power of a receiver of wreck to detain a ship in respect of a salvage claim); or

(c) authorise proceedings in rem in respect of any claim against the Crown, or the arrest, detention or sale of any of Her Majesty's ships or Her Majesty's aircraft, or, subject to section 2(3) of the Hovercraft Act 1968, Her Majesty's hovercraft, or of any cargo or other property belonging to the Crown.

(3) In this section—

• " Her Majesty's ships " and " Her Majesty's aircraft " have the meanings given by section 38(2) of the [1947 c. 44.] Crown Proceedings Act 1947;

• "Her Majesty's hovercraft" means hovercraft belonging to the Crown in right of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom or Her Majesty's Government in Northern Ireland.