Merchant Shipping Act 1979

32 Shipping casualties

(1) In section 464 of the [1894 c. 60.] Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (which specifies the shipping casualties which may be the subject of inquiries and investigations under Part VI of that Act)—

(a) in paragraph (4) (which refers to loss of life by reason of a casualty happening to or on board a ship) after the word " life" there shall be inserted the words " or serious personal injury " and after the word "ship" there shall be inserted the words " , or any boat or life-raft from a ship, ";

(b) after that paragraph there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

(4A) when any person is lost from a ship, or any boat or life-raft from a ship, on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom;

(c) after paragraph (7) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

(8) when events occur which the Secretary of State determines are of a kind likely to cause events which, if they occurred, would constitute a shipping casualty by virtue of any of the preceding paragraphs..

(2) In section 55 of the [1970 c. 36.] Merchant Shipping Act 1970 (which relates to inquiries and investigations into shipping casualties)—

(a) after the words " loss of life " in subsection (1)(b) there shall be inserted the words " or serious personal injury "; and

(b) after subsection (1) there shall be inserted the following subsection—

(1A) Where an incident has occurred which the Secretary of State considers was or is capable of causing a casualty into which he could require an inquiry in pursuance of the preceding subsection, the powers to hold an inquiry or an investigation or both which are conferred on him by paragraphs (i) and (ii) of that subsection shall be exercisable in relation to the incident as if it were such a casualty..

(3) Accordingly in section 56(1) of the [1970 c. 36.] Merchant Shipping Act 1970 (which relates to an investigation under section 55 of that Act into a casualty) after the word " casualty " there shall be inserted the words " or incident ".