Dumping At Sea Act, 1981

Definitions.

1.—In this Act, save where the context otherwise requires—

“authorised officer” means a person appointed to be an authorised officer under section 4 of this Act;

“company” has the same meaning as in the Companies Act, 1963 ;

“dumping”, in relation to a substance or material, means deliberately disposing (including disposing by deliberate combustion for the purpose of thermal destruction) at sea of the substance or material from, or in conjunction with, a vessel, aircraft or marine structure (other than any such disposal that is incidental to or derived from the normal operation of a vessel, aircraft or marine structure (or its equipment) that is not constructed or adapted wholly or mainly for the purpose of the disposal at sea of substances or materials) but does not include the discharge, for the purpose of dispersing or otherwise altering the distribution or character of any mineral oil on the surface of the sea, of a substance or material designed or intended for use for the purpose aforesaid and cognate words shall be construed accordingly;

“functions” includes powers and duties and a reference to the performance of a function includes a reference to the exercise of a power and the carrying out of a duty;

“harbour authority” has the same meaning as in the Harbours Act, 1946 ;

“Irish aircraft” means an aircraft registered in the State;

“Irish marine structure” means a marine structure owned by or leased to an individual resident in the State or owned by or leased to a company;

“Irish vessel” means a ship which is an Irish ship within the meaning of the Mercantile Marine Act, 1955 , or a vessel which is owned by, leased or chartered to, an individual resident in the State or a company, and is not registered under the law of another country;

“the London Convention” means the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter done at London on the 29th day of December, 1972, as amended by the Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the Convention on the 12th day of October, 1978;

“marine structure” means a platform or other man-made structure at sea, whether fixed or floating;

“master”, in relation to a vessel, means the person having the command or charge of the vessel for the time being;

“the Minister” means the Minister for Transport;

“the Oslo Convention” means the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft done at Oslo on the 15th day of February, 1972;

“sea” includes any area submerged at mean high water springs, an estuary or an arm of the sea and the tidal waters of any channel, creek, bay or river;

“substance or material” includes thing;

“territorial seas of the State” means the territorial seas of the State for the purposes of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 1959 , and the internal waters of the State for the purposes of that Act.