The Merchant Shipping (Radiocommunications) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

Detention

14.—(1) For the purposes of this regulation, any reference to “the Act” is a reference to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.

(2) Subject to paragraph (10), a ship which does not comply with a requirement in these Regulations or a provision of Chapter IV referred to in regulation 10 or 11 may be detained.

(3) Section 284 of the Act(1) applies where a ship is liable to be detained under this regulation as if—

(a) references to detention of a ship under the Act were references to detention of the ship in question under this regulation; and

(b) subsection (7) were omitted.

(4) Where a ship is liable to be detained under this regulation, the person detaining the ship must serve on the master a detention notice which—

(a) states the grounds of the detention; and

(b) requires the terms of the notice to be complied with until the ship is released by any person mentioned in section 284(1) of the Act.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6), section 96 (references of detention notices to arbitration)(2) and section 97 (compensation in connection with invalid detention of a ship) of the Act apply in relation to a detention notice issued pursuant to this regulation as they apply in relation to detention notices issued pursuant to section 95 (power to detain dangerously unsafe ship).

(6) For the purposes of paragraph (5)—

(a) section 96 of the Act applies as if—

(i) subsection (3) were omitted;

(ii) the words “as a dangerously unsafe ship” in subsection (5) were omitted;

(iii) subsection (11) were omitted; and

(b) sections 96 and 97 of the Act apply as if “the relevant inspector” means a person issuing the detention notice pursuant to this regulation.

(7) Subject to paragraph (8), where a non-United Kingdom ship is detained, the Secretary of State must immediately inform the ship’s flag administration in writing.

(8) If it is not possible to inform the ship’s flag administration in accordance with paragraph (7), the Secretary of State must inform the Consul of the State of the flag administration, or in the absence of a Consul, the nearest diplomatic representative of the State of the flag administration.

(9) For the purposes of paragraphs (7) and (8), “flag administration” in relation to a ship means the administration of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly.

(10) A ship must not be detained in a port where repair facilities are not readily available by reason of malfunction of the equipment for providing general radiocommunications referred to in regulation 4.1.8 of Chapter IV if the ship is capable of performing all other distress and safety functions as required by that regulation.

(1)

Section 284 was amended by Schedule 1 to the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c. 28) and S.I. 2015/664.

(2)

Section 96(7) was amended by Part 1 of Schedule 10 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (c. 15) and by Schedule 11 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4). Section 96(10) was repealed by Schedule 4 to the Arbitration Act 1996 (c. 23).