Merchant Shipping Act 1979

12 In section 31 (which relates to the furnishing of information by the master to the pilot of a ship about her draught, length and beam and provides that a master who refuses to comply with a request for the information or makes or is party to the making of a false statement in answer to such a request shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £50)—

(a) after the word " beam" in subsection (1) there shall be inserted the words " and to provide him with such other information relating to the ship or its cargo as the pilot specifies and is necessary to enable him to carry out his duties as the pilot of the ship ";

(b) for subsection (2) there shall be substituted the following subsections—

(2) It shall be the duty of the master of a ship to bring to the notice of each licensed pilot who pilots the ship any defects in, and any matter peculiar to, the ship and its machinery and equipment of which the master knows and which might affect materially the navigation of the ship.

(3) The master of a ship who—

(a) refuses to comply with a request made to him in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section ; or

(b) makes a statement which he knows is false, or recklessly makes a statement which is false, in answer to such a request or is privy to the making by another person in answer to such a request of a statement which the master knows is false ; or

(c) fails without reasonable excuse to perform the duty imposed on him by the preceding subsection,

shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand pounds in the case of an offence under paragraph (b) of this subsection and five hundred pounds in any other case.