Section 24

If any ship is detained under section 23(2) and the ship proceeds to sea before it is released by the Director or Port Master, the master of the ship, the owner of the ship and any person who sends the ship to sea, if that master, owner or person is party or privy to the act of sending the ship to sea, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.

The Director or Port Master or any officer authorised by the Director or Port Master to detain a ship may, if he or she thinks it necessary, place a police officer on board as a guard (called in this section a police guard).

Where a ship proceeding to sea takes to sea when any officer authorised to detain the ship, police guard or inspector is on board in the execution of his or her duty, the owner and the master of the ship shall each be liable to pay all expenses of and incidental to the officer, police guard or inspector being so taken to sea, and also to a fine not exceeding $2,000, or not exceeding $200 for every day until the officer, police guard or inspector returns or until such time as would enable the officer, police guard or inspector after leaving the ship to return to the port from which the officer, police guard or inspector was taken, and the expenses ordered to be paid may be recoverable as a fine.

Any police guard so placed on board a ship may take any steps that are necessary to prevent the ship from leaving the port.

Any person who opposes or in any way obstructs any officer authorised to detain the ship, a police guard or an inspector shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.