Search Legislation

The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000

 Help about what version

What Version

 Help about advanced features

Advanced Features

 Help about opening options

Opening Options

Changes over time for: The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000

 Help about opening options

Alternative versions:

Status:

This version of this Instrument contains provisions that are prospective. Help about Status

Close

Status

The term provision is used to describe a definable element in a piece of legislation that has legislative effect – such as a Part, Chapter or section. A version of a provision is prospective either:

  1. where the provision (Part, Chapter or section) has never come into force or;
  2. where the text of the provision is subject to change, but no date has yet been appointed by the appropriate person or body for those changes to come into force.

Commencement Orders listed in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ box as not yet applied may bring this prospective version into force.

Changes to legislation:

There are outstanding changes not yet made by the legislation.gov.uk editorial team to The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000. Any changes that have already been made by the team appear in the content and are referenced with annotations. Help about Changes to Legislation

Close

Changes to Legislation

Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.

View outstanding changes

Changes and effects yet to be applied to :

Prospective

Statutory Instruments

2000 No. 1850

MERCHANT SHIPPING

SAFETY

The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000

Made

14th July 2000

Laid before Parliament

19th July 2000

Coming into force

1st September 2000

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, after consulting the persons referred to in section 86(4) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995(1), in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 85(1)(a), (3), (5) and (7) and 86(1) of that Act, and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Prospective

Citation and commencementU.K.

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on 1st September 2000.

Commencement Information

I1Reg. 1 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

InterpretationU.K.

2.  In these Regulations—

“Cospas-Sarsat satellite service” means a satellite aided search and rescue system designed to locate distress beacons transmitting in the 406 MHz band and on other frequencies;

“EPIRB” means an emergency position indicating radio beacon capable of transmitting a distress alert either through the Cospas-Sarsat satellite service operating in the 406 MHz band or through the INMARSAT geostationary satellites operating in the 1.6 GHz band;

“INMARSAT” means the Organisation established by the Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organisation adopted on 3rd September 1976(2);

“MID” means Maritime Identification Digits, being the three digits within the MMSI that identify the country where the ship is registered;

“MMSI” means Maritime Mobile Service Identity, being a nine-digit identification number made up of the three-digit MID followed by a six-digit identification number;

“operator” includes the master and any charterer, manager or agent of the ship;

“radio installation” means any radio installation provided on board a ship, including its associated antennas, interconnecting circuits and, where appropriate, sources of electrical energy;

“surveyor of ships” means any person appointed by the Secretary of State, either generally or in a particular case, to exercise powers under these Regulations;

“survival craft” means a craft capable of sustaining the lives of persons in distress from the time of abandoning the ship; and

“United Kingdom ship” means a ship which—

(a)

is a United Kingdom ship within the meaning of section 85(2) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995; or

(b)

is a hovercraft registered under the Hovercraft Act 1968(3).

Commencement Information

I2Reg. 2 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

ApplicationU.K.

3.—(1) These Regulations apply to United Kingdom ships wherever they may be.

(2) In relation to hovercraft these Regulations shall have effect subject to the modification that for any reference to a ship or ships, there shall respectively be substituted a reference to a hovercraft and to hovercraft.

Commencement Information

I3Reg. 3 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

Competent authorityU.K.

4.—(1) For the purposes of these Regulations, HM Coastguard is designated as the competent authority for the United Kingdom.

(2) In these Regulations in relation to any other member State of the International Telecommunication Union(4) “competent authority” means the authority designated as such by the State as the authority in that State for registering the details of EPIRBs.

Commencement Information

I4Reg. 4 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

Requirement for EPIRBs to be registeredU.K.

5.—(1) The owner and the operator of every United Kingdom ship shall ensure that every EPIRB carried on the ship (whether or not carried in compliance with statutory requirements) is registered with a competent authority and that the registered particulars are correct.

(2) The registered particulars referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:—

(a)ship name;

(b)MMSI;

(c)radio call sign;

(d)EPIRB identification code (if applicable) and its homing frequency;

(e)country where the ship is registered;

(f)brief description of ship, including its type, gross tonnage, ship superstructure, deck colours and identifying marks;

(g)name, address, telephone and (if applicable) telefax number of emergency contact person ashore;

(h)alternative 24-hour emergency telephone number (alternative contact ashore);

(i)capacity of ship for carrying persons on board (passengers and crew);

(j)radio installations carried on board the ship and survival craft;

(k)type and number of survival craft; and

(l)date of last modification of registered particulars.

(3) Evidence that every EPIRB carried on the ship is registered in accordance with paragraph (1) above shall be readily available on board for inspection at all times by a surveyor of ships.

Commencement Information

I5Reg. 5 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

Change in registered particularsU.K.

6.  Where in respect of an EPIRB registered with a competent authority there is any change in the particulars registered with that competent authority, the owner and the operator of the ship to which those particulars relate shall, as soon as is reasonably practicable after the change, give written notice of it to the competent authority.

Commencement Information

I6Reg. 6 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

OffencesU.K.

7.—(1) Any contravention of regulation 5(1) or 6 shall be an offence by the owner and the operator of the ship punishable on summary conviction by a fine of an amount not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(2) Any contravention of regulation 5(3) shall be an offence by the owner and the operator of the ship punishable on summary conviction by a fine of an amount not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.

Commencement Information

I7Reg. 7 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

DefenceU.K.

8.  It shall be a defence for a person charged under these Regulations to show that he took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.

Commencement Information

I8Reg. 8 in force at 1.9.2000, see reg. 1

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Keith Hill

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

14th July 2000

Prospective

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations require that EPIRBs (that is, emergency position indicating radio beacons) carried on United Kingdom ships and hovercraft shall be registered with the competent authority in a member State of the International Telecommunication Union (regulation 5(1)). In the United Kingdom the competent authority is HM Coastguard (regulation 4). (The registered particulars are maintained at the EPIRB Register, HM Coastguard, South Western, Pendennis Point, Castle Drive, Falmouth TR11 4WZ). A list of details required to be registered is included (regulation 5(2)), and changes must be notified (regulation 6). Penalties are provided for contravention of the Regulations (regulation 7).

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been carried out and a copy placed in the Library of both Houses of Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton SO15 5EG (telephone number 02380 329137).

(1)

1995 c. 21; sections 85 and 86 were amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c. 28), section 8, and apply to hovercraft by virtue of the Hovercraft (Application of Enactments) Order 1989 (S.I. 1989/1350) to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

(2)

Cmnd. 6822.

(4)

The International Telecommunication Union is a specialised agency of the United Nations with responsibility for all terrestrial and space uses of the radio frequency spectrum.

Back to top

Options/Help

Print Options

Close

Legislation is available in different versions:

Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.

Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.

Close

See additional information alongside the content

Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.

Close

Opening Options

Different options to open legislation in order to view more content on screen at once

Close

More Resources

Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as enacted version that was used for the print copy
  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • correction slips
  • links to related legislation and further information resources
Close

Timeline of Changes

This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.

Close

More Resources

Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:

  • the original print PDF of the as made version that was used for the print copy
  • correction slips

Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including:

  • lists of changes made by and/or affecting this legislation item
  • confers power and blanket amendment details
  • all formats of all associated documents
  • links to related legislation and further information resources