Merchant Shipping (Signals of Distress) Rules, 1.997 (signalsofdistress)

Suppliment lal~Gauetla tal-G ~'errr ta' Malta. Nru . /6,396, /4 1(1 ' Jannar, 1997

Taqsima B

L.N. 40flm

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT

(CAP. 234)

Merchant Shipping (Signals of Distress) Rules, 1.997

IN exercise of the powers conferred by seclion 301 of me Merchant

Shipping Act. the Mini ster for Transport and Ports has made the

following rules: -

These rul es may be cited IlS the Men;:hllm Shipping (S ignals

of Di stress) Rules. [997.

T he phrase "Mal!ese ships" shall have the same meaning asis

assigned to it by section 3 of the Merchant Shipping Act.

These rules shall apply to all Maltese ships.

When a Maltese ship is in dislress and requires assista nce, she

shall use or exhibit the signals described in Annex IV orthe Imemati(lnlli

Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea . 1972. which Annex is set

OUt in the Schedule to these ru les.

( I) No signal of distress shall be used by any ship unless the

master of the ship so orders.

(2)

The master of the ship shall not o rder any signal of

distress to be used by his ship unless he is satisfied

(a) that his ship is in serious and imminent dange r . or that

anot her ship or an aircraft is in serious and imminent dange r and

cannot of itself send that signal; and

that the ship in danger (whether his own ship or anot her

(b)

s hip) or the airc raft in danger. as the case may be, requires

immediate assistance in addition to any assistance then available

10 her.