Merchant Shipping Act 1995

257 Powers to require production of ships documents

(1) The powers conferred by this section are conferred in relation to United Kingdom ships and are available to any of the following officers, namely—

(a) any Departmental officer,

(b) any commissioned naval officer,

(c) any British consular officer,

(d) the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen or any person discharging his functions,

(e) any chief officer of customs and excise,

(f) any superintendent,

whenever the officer has reason to suspect that this Act or any law for the time being in force relating to merchant seamen or navigation is not complied with.

(2) Those powers are—

(a) to require the owner, master, or any of the crew to produce any official log-books or other documents relating to the crew or any member of the crew in their possession or control;

(b) to require the master to produce a list of all persons on board his ship, and take copies of or extracts from the official log-books or other such documents;

(c) to muster the crew; and

(d) to require the master to appear and give any explanation concerning the ship or her crew or the official log-books or documents produced or required to be produced.

(3) If any person, on being duly required by an officer under this section to produce a log-book or any document, fails without reasonable excuse to produce the log-book or document, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(4) If any person, on being duly required by any officer under this section—

(a) to produce a log-book or document, refuses to allow the log-book or document to be inspected or copied;

(b) to muster the crew, impedes the muster; or

(c) to give any explanation, refuses or neglects to give the explanation or knowingly misleads or deceives the officer;

he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.