S.I. No. 237/1968:

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LOAD LINES) (EXEMPTION) ORDER, 1968.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (LOAD LINES) (EXEMPTION) ORDER, 1968.

I, ERSKINE H. CHILDERS, Minister for Transport and Power, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 19 (2) of the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act, 1968 (No. 17 of 1968), hereby make the following order :--

1. (1) This Order may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) (Exemption) Order, 1968.

(2) This Order shall come into operation on the 28th day of November, 1968.

2. In this Order--

"the Act" means the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act, 1968 (No. 17 of 1968);

"sailing ship" means a ship designed to carry sail, whether as the sole means of propulsion or as a supplementary means;

"smooth waters" has the meaning assigned to it by Rule 3 (1) of the Merchant Shipping (Life-Saving Appliances) Rules, 1967 ( S.I. No. 100 of 1967 ).

3. (1) The following ships under eighty tons register engaged solely in the coasting trade shall be exempt from the provisions of the Act while not carrying cargo, namely :

( a ) tugs and salvage ships;

( b ) ships engaged in the surveying of harbours or the approaches thereto;

( c ) hopper barges and dredgers;

( d ) ships which are pilot boats within the meaning of section 38 of the Pilotage Act, 1913;

( e ) ships used by or on behalf of--

(i) a Minister of State for fishery protection purposes or for fishery or scientific research,

(ii) the Minister for Defence for the purpose of ensuring safety in the use of firing ranges or weapons at sea,

(iii) a general or local lighthouse authority for the purpose of the authority's functions,

(iv) a board of conservators within its fishery district;

( f ) sailing ships;

( g ) ships in respect of which Passenger Steamer Certificates specifying limits beyond which the ship must not ply are in force and which operate solely within those limits;

( h ) ships carrying not more than twelve passengers on voyages any point on the course of which is neither more than fifteen miles (exclusive of any smooth waters) from the point of departure nor more than three miles from land.

(2) Ships mentioned in paragraph (l) (g) of this Article shall be exempt from the provisions of the Act while carrying cargo: provided that, in case the ship's Passenger Steamer Certificate contains provisions authorising the carriage of cargo, the exemption conferred by this paragraph shall be conditional upon those provisions being complied with.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 20th day of November, 1968.

ERSKINE H. CHILDERS,

Minister for Transport and Power.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

This Order exempts from the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act, 1968 , certain classes of ships under 80 tons register engaged solely in the coasting trade.