Fishing Vessels (Safety Provisions) Act 1970

3 Fishing vessel certificates

(1) If the Board of Trade or any person authorised by them for the purpose are satisfied, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a fishing vessel surveyed under the fishing vessel survey rules, that the vessel complies with such of the requirements of—

(a) the fishing vessel construction rules ;

(b) the rules for life-saving appliances ; or

(c) the radio rules, the rules for direction-finders and the rules for radio navigational aids ;

as are or will be applicable to the vessel, then, subject to subsection (2) of this section, the Board or person shall, on the application of the owner, issue a certificate showing that the vessel complies with those requirements; and for this purpose any requirement from which the vessel has been exempted under section 1(2) of this Act or any other provision of the Merchant Shipping Acts shall be deemed not to be applicable to it.

(2) Fishing vessel survey rules may require, in the case of such certificate to be issued under this section as may be specified in the rules, that the Board of Trade or person authorised to issue it shall not issue the certificate unless satisfied that the vessel in respect of which it is to be issued is provided with the lights, shapes and means of making fog signals required by the collision regulations.

(3) A certificate issued under this section shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the fishing vessel survey rules; and those rules may make provision for the duration, extension or cancellation of any such certificate and for the endorsement on it of information relating to the inspection, in accordance with the rules, of the vessel to which it relates and of any extension of the period for which the certificate was issued.

(4) Sections 280 to 282 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (delivery up and posting up of certificates and penalty for forgery) shall apply in relation to any certificate provided for by this section as they apply in relation to a passenger steamer's certificate.

(5) Any certificate issued under this section shall be admissible in evidence.