Defences
31.—(1) In any proceedings for an offence under these Regulations, it is a defence for the person charged to prove that they took all reasonable steps and exercised all due diligence to ensure that the regulation in question was complied with.
(2) Without prejudice to paragraph (1), in any proceedings for an offence under regulation 30(1)(d) or (e) (offences) it is a defence for the person charged to prove that—
(a)the ship was not a United Kingdom ship;
(b)the discharge took place in waters that were not United Kingdom waters or controlled waters; and
(c)the ship was in a port in the United Kingdom at the time of the institution of the proceedings by reason only of stress of weather or any other reason beyond the control of the owner, manager, charterer or master of the ship.