Merchant Shipping Act 1970
Engagement and discharge of crews
1Crew agreements.
2 Regulations relating to crew agreements.
3 Discharge of seamen.
4Seamen left behind abroad otherwise than on discharge.
5Discharge of seamen when ship ceases to be registered in U.K.
6Restrictions on making arrangements for employment of seamen.
Wages, etc.
7 Payment of seamen’s wages.
8 Account of seamen’s wages.
9 Regulations relating to wages and accounts.
10 Power of superintendent or proper officer to decide disputes about wages.
11 Restriction on assignment of and charge upon wages.
12 Power of court to award interest on wages due otherwise than under crew agreement.
13 Allotment notes.
14 Right of person named in allotment note to sue in own name.
15 Right, or loss of right, to wages in certain circumstances.
16 Protection of certain rights and remedies.
17 Claims against seaman’s wages for maintenance, etc. of dependants.
18 Remedies of master for remuneration, disbursements, etc.
Safety, health and welfare
19 Safety Regulations.
20 Crew accommodation.
21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22 Complaints about provisions or water.
23 Other complaints.
24 Medical stores.
25 Medical treatment on board ship.
26 Expenses of medical treatment, etc. during voyage.
Offences by seamen, etc.
27 Conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals.
28 Drunkenness, etc. on duty.
29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
30 Continued or concerted disobedience, neglect of duty, etc.
31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32 Offences committed by certain other persons.
Defence of drug taken for medical purposes
33 Defence of drug taken for medical purposes.
Disciplinary offences
34–38. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Civil liability for absence without leave, smuggling and fines imposed under immigration laws
39 Civil liability for absence without leave.
40 Civil liability for smuggling.
41 Civil liability for fines imposed under immigration laws.
Trade disputes
42Trade disputes involving seamen
Manning and certification
43 Manning.
44 Power to exempt from manning requirements.
45 Prohibition of going to sea undermanned.
46 Unqualified persons going to sea as qualified officers or seamen.
47 Production of certificates and other documents of qualification.
48 Crew’s knowledge of English.
49 Application of sections 43, 45, 47 and 48.
50 Special certificates of competency.
51 Restriction on employment of persons under eighteen on board ship.
Disqualification of seamen, inquiries and investigations.
52 Inquiry into fitness or conduct of officer.
53 Disqualification of holder of certificate other than officer’s.
54 Inquiry into fitness or conduct of seaman other than officer.
55. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
56 Formal investigation into shipping casualty.
57 Re-hearing of and appeal from inquiries and investigations.
58 Rules as to inquiries, investigations and appeals.
59 Failure to deliver cancelled or suspended certificate.
60 Power to restore certificate.
61 Inquiries into deaths of crew members and others.
Relief and repatriation of seamen left behind
62 Relief and return of seamen left behind, etc.
63 Limit of employer’s liability under s. 62.
64 Recovery of expenses incurred for relief and return, etc.
Property of deceased seamen
65, 66. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Application of sections 62 to 66 to masters
67 Application of sections 62 to 66 to masters.
Documentation, reports and returns
68 Official log books.
69 Lists of crew.
70 British seamen’s cards.
71 Discharge books.
72 Returns of births and deaths in ships, etc.
73 Reports of shipping casualties.
74 Handing over of documents on change of master.
75 Admissibility in evidence and inspection of certain documents.
75A Inspection and admissibility in evidence of copies of certain documents.
Inspections
76 Inspections.
Stowaways, unauthorised presence on board ship and master’s power of arrest
77 Stowaways.
78 Unauthorised presence on board ship.
79 Master’s power of arrest.
Administrative provisions
80 Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen.
81 Appointment of superintendents.
82 Appointment of wreck commissioners.
83 Remuneration of wreck commissioners and assessors.
84 Fees.
Miscellaneous
85 Amendment of Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1949.
86 Nautical publications.
87 The merchant navy uniform.
88 Increase of penalty for sailing while ship under detention.
89 Dealing with deserters under reciprocal arrangements.
90 Adaptation to metric units.
91 Tonnage measurement and certificates.
Unregistered ships and ships registered outside the United Kingdom
92 Unregistered . . . ships.
93 Ships registered in independent Commonwealth countries.
94 Power to extend Act to certain territories outside the United Kingdom, and to ships registered therein.
Fishing vessels and non-sea-going ships
95 Fishing vessels.
96 Non-sea-going ships.
Supplementary
97 Interpretation.
98 Expenses and receipts.
99 Regulations and rules.
100 Amendments, savings, transitional provisions and repeals.
101 Citation, construction and commencement.
SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE 1
3 Radio rules.
6 Radio navigational aids.
SCHEDULE 2
Part I Additional Provisions
Regulations relating to crew agreements
1(1) The Board of Trade may make regulations prescribing the...
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Production of certificates and other documents of qualification
3Any person serving or engaged to serve in a fishing...
Hours of work
4(1) The Board of Trade may make regulations prescribing maximum...
Reports of and inquiries into injuries
5(1) Where the master or a member of the crew...
Part II Sections 7 and 8 set out as they apply to Fishing Vessels and Persons Employed in them
7 Payment of seamen’s wages.
8 Accounts of wages and catch.
SCHEDULE 3
The Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875
1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Merchant Shipping Act 1894
2In subsection (1) of section 689 of the Merchant Shipping...
3In subsection (1) of section 695 of that Act, after...
4In section 742 of that Act, in the definition of...
The Pilotage Act 1913
5In section 17(1)(l) of the Pilotage Act 1913 for the...
6In paragraph (b) of the proviso to section 23(1) of...
7In section 25 of that Act for the words “certificates...
The Illegal Trawling (Scotland) Act 1934
8In section 1(6) of the Illegal Trawling (Scotland) Act 1934...
The Pensions (Navy, Army, Air Force and Mercantile Marine) Act 1939
9In section 6(3) of the Pensions (Navy, Army, Air Force...
The Merchant Shipping Act 1964
10For subsection (2) of section 10 of the Merchant Shipping...
The Administration of Estates (Small Payments) Act 1965
11In section 6 of the Administration of Estates (Small Payments)...
The Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act 1967
12In section 10(2) of the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act...
The Hovercraft Act 1968
13The enactments and instruments with respect to which provision may...
The Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1970
14In section 414(1) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act...
SCHEDULE 4
1The repeals made by this Act shall not be taken...
2The repeal by this Act of sections 145 and 146...
3The repeal by this Act of sections 148 to 153...
4The repeal by this Act of section 254 of the...
5Any licence granted under section 110 of the Merchant Shipping...
6Any regulations made under section 1 of the Merchant Shipping...
7Any reference in regulations made under section 1 of the...
8The references in section 57 of this Act to an...
9The references in section 60 of this Act to a...
10For the purposes of section 87 of this Act the...
SCHEDULE 5

Royal arms

Merchant Shipping Act 1970

1970 CHAPTER 36

An Act to make fresh provision in place of certain enactments relating to merchant ships and seamen and to repeal some of those enactments without replacement; to make further provision relating to merchant ships and seamen; and for purposes connected therewith.