PART I

BRITISH SHIPS

British ships and United Kingdom ships.
1
1
A ship is a British ship if—
a
the ship is registered in the United Kingdom under Part II; or
b
the ship is, as a Government ship, registered in the United Kingdom in pursuance of an Order in Council under section 308; or
c
the ship is registered under the law of a relevant British possession; or
d
the ship is a small ship other than a fishing vessel and—
i
is not registered under Part II, but
ii
is wholly owned by qualified owners, and
iii
is not registered under the law of a country outside the United Kingdom.
2
For the purposes of subsection (1)(d) above—
- “qualified owners” means persons of such description qualified to own British ships as is prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State for the purposes of that paragraph; and
- “small ship” means a ship less than 24 metres in length (“length” having the same meaning as in the tonnage regulations).
3
A ship is a “United Kingdom ship” for the purposes of this Act (except section 85 and 144(3)) if the ship is registered in the United Kingdom under Part II (and in Part V “United Kingdom fishing vessel” has a corresponding meaning).
S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.3.2023) by The Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/35), arts. 1(1), 2(4)