Merchant Shipping Act 1995

208 Distress on ship for general light dues

(1) If the owner or master of any ship fails, on demand of the appointed collector, to pay the general light dues due in respect of the ship, the collector may enter the ship and distrain the goods or any equipment or other thing belonging to, or on board, the ship and detain that distress until those dues are paid.

(2) If payment of the dues so demanded is not made within the period of five days following the distress, the collector may, at any time during the continuance of the non-payment, cause the distress to be independently appraised and thereupon sold by public auction.

(3) The collector shall apply the proceeds of the sale in payment of—

(a) the general light dues due; and

(b) all reasonable expenses incurred by him under this section;

and shall pay the surplus (if any), on demand, to the owner or master of the ship.

(4) The remedy conferred by this section is in addition to any other remedy available to the collector or the general lighthouse authority by whom he was appointed.

(5) This section does not apply to Scotland.