Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution) Act 1971

10 Compulsory insurance against liability for pollution.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act relating to Gov-ernment ships, subsection (2) of this section shall apply to any ship carrying in bulk a cargo of more than 2,000 tons of persistent oil of a description specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(2) The ship shall not enter or leave a port in the United Kingdom or arrive at or leave a terminal in the territorial sea of the United Kingdom nor, if the ship is registered in the United Kingdom, a port in any other country or a terminal in the ter-ritorial sea of any other country, unless there is in force a certificate complying with the provisions of subsection (3) of this section and showing that there is in force in respect of the ship a contract of insurance or other security satisfying the requirements of Article VII of the Convention (cover for owner's liability).

(3) The certificate must be—

(a) if the ship is registered in the United Kingdom, a certifi-cate issued by the Secretary of State ;

(b) if the ship is registered in a Convention country other than the United Kingdom, a certificate issued by or under the authority of the government of the other Convention country; and

(c) if the ship is registered in a country which is not a Convention country, a certificate issued by the Secre-tary of State or a certificate recognised for the purposes of this paragraph by regulations made under this section.

(4) The Secretary of State may by regulations provide that certificates in respect of ships registered in any, or any specified, country which is not a Convention country shall, in such circum-stances as may be specified in the regulations, be recognised for the purposes of subsection (3)(c) of this section if issued by or under the authority of the government of the country desig-nated in the regulations in that behalf ; and the country that may be so designated may be either or both of the following, that is to say—

(a) the country in which the ship is registered ; and

(b) any country specified in the regulations for the pur-poses of this paragraph.

(5) Any certificate required by this section to be in force in respect of a ship shall be carried in the ship and shall, on demand, be produced by the master to any officer of customs or of the Department of Trade and Industry and, if the ship is registered in the United Kingdom, to any proper officer within the meaning of section 97(1) of the [1970 c. 36.] Merchant Shipping Act 1970.

(6) If a ship enters or leaves, or attempts to enter or leave, a port or arrives at or leaves, or attempts to arrive at or leave, a terminal in contravention of subsection (2) of this section, the master or owner shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a fine, or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £35,000.

(7) If a ship fails to carry, or the master of a ship fails to produce, a certificate as required by subsection (5) of this section the master shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £400.

(8) If a ship attempts to leave a port in the United Kingdom in contravention of this section the ship may be detained.

(9) Regulations under this section shall be made by statutory instrument, which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.