Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Pollution) Act 1994

Salvage

1 Salvage Convention, 1989 to have force of law

(1) The provisions of the International Convention on Salvage, 1989 as set out in Part I of Schedule 1 to this Act (in this section and in Part II of that Schedule referred to as “the Convention”) shall have the force of law in the United Kingdom.

(2) The provisions of Part II of that Schedule shall have effect in connection with the Convention, and subsection (1) above shall have effect subject to the provisions of that Part.

(3) If it appears to Her Majesty in Council that the government of the United Kingdom has agreed to any revision of the Convention She may by Order in Council make such modifications of Parts I and II of Schedule 1 to this Act as She considers appropriate in consequence of the revision.

(4) Nothing in subsection (1) or (2) above or in any modification made by virtue of subsection (3) above shall affect any rights or liabilities arising out of any salvage operations started or other acts done before the day on which this section or, as the case may be, the modification comes into force.

(5) This section may be brought into force before the entry into force of the Convention and as respects any such period any reference in the Convention to a State Party to the Convention shall be read as a reference to the United Kingdom.

(6) The provisions of Schedule 2 to this Act (which make amendments consequential on subsections (1) and (2) above) shall have effect; but nothing in any such amendment shall affect any rights or liabilities arising out of any salvage operations started or other acts done before the day on which the amendment comes into force.

(7) A draft of an Order in Council proposed to be made by virtue of subsection (3) above shall not be submitted to Her Majesty in Council unless the draft has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.