Mercantile Marine Act, 1955

Evidence on first registry.

29.—(1) On the first registry of a ship the following evidence shall be produced in addition to the declaration of ownership:—

(a) in the case of a ship built in the State, a builder's certificate, that is to say a certificate signed by the builder of the ship and containing a true account of the proper denomination and of the tonnage of the ship, as estimated by him, and of the time when and the place where she was built, and of the name of the person (if any) on whose account the ship was built and, if there has been any sale, the bill of sale under which the ship, or a share therein, has become vested in the applicant for registry;

(b) in the case of a ship built outside the State, the same evidence as in the case of a ship built in the State unless the declarant who makes the declaration of ownership declares that the time and place of her building are unknown to him, or that the builder's certificate cannot be procured, in which case there shall be required only the bill of sale under which the ship, or a share therein, became vested in the applicant for registry;

(c) in the case of a ship condemned by any competent court, an official copy of the condemnation.

(2) The builder shall grant the certificate required by this section, and any such person as the Revenue Commissioners recognise as carrying on the business of the builder of a ship shall be included, for the purposes of this section, in the expression “builder of the ship”.

(3) If the person granting a builder's certificate under this section wilfully makes a false statement in that certificate he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable, on summary conviction thereof, to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds.