Every master of a ship outward bound shall receive on board his ship every mail bag tendered to him by F2a person engaged in the business of the Post Office for conveyance, and having received it shall deliver it, on arriving at the port or place of his destination, without delay.

If the master of any such ship fails to comply with this section he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F3level 4 on the standard scale.

The three next following subsections shall apply in relation to a ship or aircraft inward bound carrying any postal packets within the exclusive privilege of the F4Post Office, not being packets to which the next following section applies.

The master of the ship or commander of the aircraft shall collect all such postal packets on board his ship or aircraft and enclose them in some bag or other covering sealed with his seal and addressed to the F4Post Office and shall without delay deliver them to the proper F5person engaged in the business of the Post Office demanding them or, if no demand is made by that F5person, then at the post office with which he can first communicate.

If the master of the ship or the commander of the aircraft does not duly comply with the provisions of the last foregoing subsection he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F6level 4 on the standard scale.

The master of the ship or commander of the aircraft shall not break bulk on board his ship or aircraft in any port or place before he has complied with the provisions of subsection (2) of this section and if he does so he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F7level 2 on the standard scale.

An officer of customs and excise may refuse to permit bulk to be broken on board any inward bound ship or aircraft until he is satisfied that any postal packets brought in that ship or aircraft which are required to be delivered under subsection (2) of this section have been so delivered.

An officer of customs and excise may search any inward bound ship or aircraft for, and seize, any postal packets within the exclusive privilege of the F4Post Office and forward any such packets seized to the nearest post office; and subsection (3) of section eight of this Act shall apply in relation to any packet so forwarded.

Any such letter required to be delivered to a person at the place of arrival of the ship or aircraft shall be delivered to that person by the master of the ship or the commander of the aircraft free of inland postage and that person shall be entitled to the delivery thereof before the delivery of any other postal packets to the F9Post Office.

Any such letter required to be delivered to a person at any other place in the British postal area shall be delivered by post on payment of inland postage only.

If any person with intent to evade any postage falsely superscribes any letter as being for the owner, charterer or consignee of the ship or aircraft conveying the letter or for the owner, consignee or shipper of goods carried in that ship or aircraft, he shall for each offence be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F10level 1 on the standard scale.

F14. . . In the case of any mechanically-propelled ship which carries on regular communications between a port in the United Kingdom and any other port or place in the United Kingdom, F15or within the limited European trading area, not being a ship owned or worked by railway undertakers, the F16Post Office may require the person by whom that ship is owned or worked to carry parcels in that ship.

M1In this subsection “the limited European trading area” means the same as in regulations under section 47 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995

The remuneration for any services rendered by a ship under this section shall be determined by agreement between the F16Post Office and the person owning or working the ship or, in default of agreement, by the Transport Tribunal; and any remuneration so determined shall be paid direct to that person.

If any person to whom postal packets have been entrusted by the master of a ship or the commander of an aircraft to deliver to the F20Post Office, breaks the seal, or in any manner wilfully opens them, he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding F21level 2 on the standard scale.