Merchant Shipping Act 1988 (repealed)

7 Power of Secretary of State to direct removal from the register. U.K.

(1) If for any reason it appears to the Secretary of State that a registered ship may no longer be entitled to be registered, he may by notice served on—

(a) the owner of the ship, or

(b) any representative person for the time being appointed in relation to the ship,

require that person to furnish him with such information as he thinks necessary for the purpose of determining whether the ship is entitled to be registered.

(2) Where the Secretary of State has served a notice under subsection (1) with respect to any ship, then, unless he has become satisfied that the ship is entitled to be registered, he shall, as soon as practicable after the end of the period of 30 days beginning with the date of service of that notice, serve a notice under subsection (4) on the owner or on any representative person for the time being appointed in relation to the ship.

(3) Where the Secretary of State is satisfied—

(a) that, having regard to the matters mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b) of section 6(3), it would be inappropriate for a registered ship to continue to be registered, or

(b) that any penalty imposed on the owner of a registered ship in respect of a contravention of the Merchant Shipping Acts, or of any instrument in force under those Acts, has remained unpaid for a period of more than three months (and no appeal against the penalty is pending), or

(c) that any summons for any such contravention has been duly served on the owner of a registered ship but the owner failed to appear at the time and place appointed for the trial of the information or complaint in question and a period of not less than three months has elapsed since that time,

the Secretary of State shall serve a notice under subsection (4) either on the owner or on any representative person for the time being appointed in relation to the ship.

(4) A notice under this subsection is a notice stating—

(a) that the Secretary of State is not satisfied that the ship in question is entitled to be registered or (as the case may be) that he is satisfied as mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (3); and

(b) that he intends, after the end of the period of 30 days beginning with the date of service of the notice, to direct that the ship in question should cease to be registered unless he is satisfied that it would be inappropriate to do so by any representations made to him by or on behalf of the owner within that period.

(5) As soon as practicable after the end of that period the Secretary of State shall accordingly direct the registrar of the ship’s port of registry to terminate the ship’s registration unless he is satisfied that it would be inappropriate to do so by any such representations.

(6) Where the registration of any ship has terminated by virtue of this section, the Secretary of State may subsequently, if he is satisfied that it would be appropriate to do so, direct the registrar of the ship’s former port of registry to restore the ship’s registration.