The Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) Regulations 1997

PART II SCALE OF PAYMENTS

Periodical payments

1.  For the classes of ships mentioned below light dues shall be levied by way of periodical payments of the following amounts:

Tugs and fishing vessels

(1) Either:

(a) an annual payment per ship of £202 plus a payment of £21 for each metre of length in excess of 10 metres; or

(b) two equal payments per ship of £114 plus payment of £12 for each metre in length in excess of 10 metres in respect of each of the six month periods commencing respectively on 1st April and 1st October.

(2) The annual payment for a new or newly registered tug or fishing vessel shall be one twelfth of the appropriate annual rate in paragraph 1(1)(a) of the scale for each month, or part of a month, of the year during which it is so registered, after the date of its first or new registration, subject to a minimum payment of £60.

(3) Where a tug or a fishing vessel (other than one covered by paragraph 1(2)) is not registered for a continuous period of more than three months the annual payment shall be one twelfth of the appropriate annual rate in paragraph 1(1)(a) of the scale for each month, or part of a month, of the year during which it is so registered, subject to a minimum payment of £60.

Pleasure vessels

(4) (a) Subject to sub-paragraph (b) below, if a general lighthouse authority is satisfied that a pleasure vessel is ordinarily kept or used outside any area for which any general lighthouse authority has responsibility under Part VIII of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, the payment shall be £26 for each period of 30 days in respect of any visit by a pleasure vessel to such an area; any period of such a visit comprising less than 30 days is to count as a 30 day period for the purposes of this Schedule.

(b) The total payment in any year for such visit or visits shall not exceed the annual payment specified in sub-paragraph (c) below.

(c) In all other cases an annual payment of £77.

(5) A new or newly registered pleasure vessel shall pay £26 for each month or part of a month of the light dues year remaining, subject to such payment not exceeding the annual payment.

2.  Any ship subject to a periodical charge which is declared a total loss during a period for which it has paid or is liable to pay light dues, shall be deemed not to be liable to such dues from the last day of the month in which the said loss occurs; and such liability shall be reassessed on the proportion of the period prior to that date in accordance with paragraph 1(3) of the scale.

Payments per voyage

3.—(1) In respect of ships of all other classes, subject to a minimum charge of £60 per voyage and to paragraph (2) below, the amount of light dues per voyage shall be 41 pence per ton.

(2) Where a ship has paid dues under paragraph (1) in respect of a voyage it shall not be required to pay light dues in respect of any subsequent voyage in any period of one month commencing with the last preceding relevant date.

(3) For this purpose, “relevant date” means the date on which a ship arrives at or departs from a port or place on a voyage in respect of which light dues were paid or payable.

(4) In any year, a ship shall not be required to make payments of light dues for more than seven voyages in total.

(5) A voyage of a ship shall be reckoned from port to port.

(6) A payment on account of light dues made under paragraph (1) above in any year shall not entitle the ship to—

(a) any exemption from dues in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) above; or

(b) any limitation of liability for dues in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (4) above,

beyond 30th April in the following year.