Merchant Shipping Act 1995

Further powers to exempt ships

19 (1) In this paragraph any reference to exempting a ship is a reference to exempting the ship either—

(a) from all the provisions of this Schedule and of the load line rules, or

(b) from such of those provisions as are specified in the instrument conferring the exemption.

(2) On the application of the owner of a United Kingdom ship to which this Schedule applies which is either a pre-1966 Convention ship of not less than 150 tons gross tonnage or a post-1966 Convention ship of not less than 24 metres in length, the Secretary of State may exempt the ship if in his opinion the ship embodies features of a novel kind such that, if the ship had to comply with all the requirements of this Schedule and of the load line rules, the development of those features and their incorporation in ships engaged on international voyages might be seriously impeded.

(3) On the application of the owner of a United Kingdom ship to which this Schedule applies which is either—

(a) a pre-1966 Convention ship of less than 150 tons gross tonnage or a post-1966 Convention ship of less than 24 metres in length, or

(b) a ship (not falling within (a) above) which does not ply on international voyages,

the Secretary of State may exempt the ship.

(4) Without prejudice to sub-paragraph (3) above, where a United Kingdom ship to which this Schedule applies which is either a pre-1966 Convention ship of not less than 150 tons gross tonnage or a post-1966 Convention ship of not less than 24 metres in length, does not normally ply on international voyages but is, in exceptional circumstances, required to undertake a single international voyage, the Secretary of State, on the application of the owner of the ship, specifying the international voyage in question, may exempt the ship while engaged on that voyage.

(5) Any exemption conferred under this paragraph may be conferred subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State thinks fit; and, where any such exemption is conferred subject to conditions, the exemption shall not have effect unless those conditions are complied with.