The Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) Regulations 1997

PART III RULES

1.  Dues payable under paragraph 3 of the scale of payments and the payments referred to in Rule 4 below shall be tendered at the port where the liability arises except as the general lighthouse authority otherwise allows.

2.—(a) The payments under paragraph 1 of the scale of payments (other than those referred to in paragraph 1(1)(b) of the scale and in Rule 4) shall be payable within twenty-eight days after service of an invoice for the amount of the payment by a general lighthouse authority or its authorised collector.

(b) A general lighthouse authority or its authorised collector may serve the invoice by post, and the said invoice shall be treated as duly served if served on any one of the registered owners appearing in the register at the commencement of the period to which the invoice relates or on a consignee or agent within the meaning of section 207 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. For the purposes of section 7 of the Interpretation Act 1978(1) (service of documents by post) an invoice shall be deemed to be properly addressed to a registered owner if it is addressed to him at the address for the time being recorded in relation to him in the register.

3.  When issuing an invoice in respect of a tug or a fishing vessel a general lighthouse authority or its authorised collector shall inform the recipient of his right to elect to make payment by means of two equal payments under paragraph 1(1)(b) of the scale. Where the recipient makes a payment of the appropriate amount under the said paragraph 1(1)(b) within 28 days of the service of the invoice that paragraph shall apply; otherwise he shall be liable to pay in accordance with Rule 2. If the recipient makes such a payment in respect of the period from 1st April in accordance with the said sub-paragraph (b) the remaining payment shall be payable within 28 days of 1 October.

4.—(a) Any payment in respect of a visit as is referred to in paragraph 1(4)(a) of the scale shall be payable at the commencement of the period in respect of which it is due.

(b) Any payment under paragraph 1(1)(a) or (b) of the scale in respect of a tug or fishing vessel which a general lighthouse authority is satisfied is ordinarily registered and kept outside the United Kingdom shall be payable at the commencement of the first visit in the period to which it relates by the ship to a port in the United Kingdom.

(1)

1978 c. 30.