TNAG-0887-FCO40-1097-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 101

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Carriage of dangerous

goods.

CH. 43

Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act, 1949

12 & 13 GEO. 6

(2) Where the master of any ship in distress has requisitioned any British ship registered in the United Kingdom that has answered his call, it shall be the duty of the master of the requisitioned ship to comply with the requisition by continuing to proceed with all speed to the assistance of the persons in distress.

(3) A master shall be released from the obligation imposed by subsection (1) of this section as soon as he is informed of the requisition of one or more ships other than his own and that the requisition is being complied with by the ship or ships requisitioned.

(4) A master shall be released from the obligation imposed by subsection (1) of this section, and, if his ship has been requisi- tioned, from the obligation imposed by subsection (2) of this section, if he is informed by the persons in distress, or by the master of any ship that has reached the persons in distress, that assistance is no longer required.

(5) If a master fails to comply with the preceding provisions of this section, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

(6) If the master of a British ship registered in the United Kingdom, on receiving at sea a signal of distress or information from any source that a vessel or aircraft is in distress, is unable, or in the special circumstances of the case considers it unreason- able or unnecessary, to go to the assistance of the persons in distress, he shall forthwith cause a statement to be entered in the official log-book, or if there is no official log-book cause other record to be kept, of his reasons for not going to the assist- ance of those persons, and if he fails to do so he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.

(7) The master of every British ship registered in the United Kingdom for which an official log is required shall enter or cause to be entered in the official log-book every signal of distress or message that a vessel, aircraft or person is in distress at sea.

(8) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of section six of the Maritime Conventions Act, 1911; and compliance by the master of a ship with the provisions of this section shall not affect his right, or the right of any other person, to salvage.

23.-(1) The Minister may make rules for regulating in the interests of safety the carriage of dangerous goods in ships to which this section applies.

(2) This section applies to-

(a) British ships registered in the United Kingdom;