Merchant Shipping Act, 1894

Application to foreign ships of provisions as to detention.

462.[1] Where a foreign ship . . . . . at a port in the United Kingdom . . . . . is . . . . . unsafe [2 by reason of the defective condition of her hull, equipments, or machinery, or] by reason of overloading or improper loading [3 or by reason of undermanning] the provisions of this Part of this Act with respect to the detention of ships shall apply to that foreign ship as if she were a British ship, with the following modifications:—

(i) A copy of the order for the provisional detention of the ship shall be forthwith served on the consular officer for the country to which the ship belongs at or nearest to the said port;

(ii) Where a ship has been provisionally detained, the consular officer, on the request of the owner or master of the ship, may require that the person appointed by the Board of Trade to survey the ship shall be accompanied by such person as the consular officer may select, and in that case, if the surveyor and that person agree, the Board of Trade shall cause the ship to be detained or released accordingly, but if they differ, the Board of Trade may act as if the requisition had not been made, and the owner and master shall have the like appeal to a court of survey touching the report of the surveyor as is herein-before provided in the case of a British ship; and

(iii) Where the owner or master of the ship appeals to the court of survey, the consular officer, on his request, may appoint a competent person to be assessor in the case in lieu of the assessor who, if the ship were a British ship, would be appointed otherwise than by the Board of Trade.

[1 Extended by 6 Edw. 7. c. 48. s. 2 (2).]

[2 Words in brackets inserted by 6 Edw. 7. c. 48. s. 2 (1).]

[3 Words in brackets inserted by 60 & 61 Vict. c. 59. s. 1 (2).]