Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1932

ARTICLE 28 Exemptions from the Requirements of Article 27.

1 Each Administration may, if it considers that the route and the conditions of the voyage are such as to render a radiotelegraph installation unreasonable or unnecessary, exempt ships belonging to its country from the requirements of Article 27 as follows:—

I.

—Passenger Ships.

(a)

Individual passenger ships or classes of passenger ships which, in the course of their voyage, do not go more than—

(i)

20 miles from the nearest land; or

(ii)

200 miles in the open sea between two consecutive ports.

(b)

Passenger ships which make voyages entirely within the restricted areas specified in the Annex to this Article.

II.

—Cargo Ships.

Individual cargo ships or classes of cargo ships which, in the course of their voyage, do not go more than 150 miles from the nearest land.

2 Each Administration may, in addition, exempt ships belonging to its country of the following classes :—

I.

—Barges in tow and existing sailing ships.

An existing sailing ship is one the keel of which is laid before the 1st July, 1931.

II.

—Ships of primitive build, such as dhows, junks, &c, if it is practically impossible to fit them with a radiotelegraph installation.

III.

—Ships which are not normally engaged on international voyages, but which in exceptional circumstances are required to undertake a single voyage of that kind.

Annex to Article 28.

1 The Baltic Sea and approaches thereto East of a line drawn from Utsire (Norway) in the North to Texel (Netherlands) in the South, outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.

2 The portions of the Gulf of Tartary and the Sea of Okhotsk covered in voyages between ports in Hokkaido and ports in Japanese Sakhalin.

3 The Chosen (Tyosen) Strait between a line in the North drawn from Kawajiri Misaki (Cape Natsungu) to Pusan, and a line in the South drawn from Nagasaki to Giffard Island (off the South-West point of Quelpart Island) and thence to Tin To (Amherst Island).

4 The Yellow Sea North of Parallel 37° North.

5 The Formosa Strait between a line in the North drawn from Fuki Kaku (Syauki Point) to Foochow and a line in the South drawn from South Cape (the South point of Formosa) to Hong Kong.

6 The area within the following limits :—

• Parallel 10° N. from long. 94° E. to the coast of Asia, coast of Asia to Saigon (Cape Tiwan), straight lines between Cape Tiwan, lat. 4° 30' N. long. 110° E., south point of Palawan Island, Palmas (Miangas) Island, lat. 0° long. 140° E., lat. 0° long. 148° E., lat. 10° S. long. 148° E., Cape York, north coast of Australia from Cape York to Port Darwin (Cape Charles), straight lines between Cape Charles, Ashmore Reef (East Island), lat. 10° S. long. 109° E., Christmas Island, lat. 2° N. long. 94° E., lat. 10° N. long. 94° E., outside the territorial jurisdiction of Australia and of the United States of America.

7 The Caribbean Sea, outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States of America, in relation to voyages made by sailing ships only.

8 The area of the South Pacific Ocean bounded by the Equator, Meridian 130° W., Parallel 34° S., and the coast of Australia, outside the territorial jurisdiction of Australia.

9 The Tong King Gulf and portions of the China Sea lying to the West of a line drawn from Hong Kong to lat. 17° N. long 110° E., thence due South to lat. 10° N., and thence West to Saigon.

10 The portions of the Indian Ocean covered in voyages between ports in Madagascar, Reunion and the Mauritius Islands.

11 The portions of the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea covered in voyages between Casablanca (Morocco) and Oran (Algeria) and intermediate ports.