Merchant Shipping Act 1988

10 In section 18 (provision for loss of certificate)—

(a) for subsection (2) substitute—

“(2) If—

(a) the port where the ship is at the time of the event (or, as the case may be, where it first arrives thereafter) is a port in a country outside the British Islands, and

(b) the master of the ship, or some other person having knowledge of the facts of the case, makes a declaration before the appropriate person stating—

(i) the facts of the case, and

(ii) the names and descriptions of the registered owners of the ship to the best of the declarant’s knowledge and belief,

the appropriate person may thereupon grant a provisional certificate containing a statement of the circumstances under which it is granted.”;

(b) in subsection (3), for the words from “her port” (where first occurring) to “that port” substitute “a port in the United Kingdom”; and

(c) at the end add—

“(4) In this section “the appropriate person”, in relation to a port in a country outside the British Islands, means—

(a) any British consular officer within whose consular district the port lies, or

(b) where Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom is represented in that country by a High Commissioner, any member of the High Commissioner’s official staff nominated by him for the purposes of this Part of this Act, or

(c) where that country is a colony, the Governor of the colony or any person appointed by him for those purposes;

and in this subsection “High Commissioner” includes an acting High Commissioner and “Governor” includes an acting Governor.”