Merchant Shipping Act 1995 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 8 · Liability of Shipowners and Salvorsfor Maritime Claims
135. Exclusion of liability
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Subject to subsection (3), the owner of a Singapore ship is not liable for any loss or damage —
owner
“owner”, in relation to goods, means every person who is for the time being entitled, either as owner or agent for the owner, to the possession of the goods, subject in the case of a lien (if any) to that lien;
where any property on board the ship is lost or damaged by reason of fire on board the ship; or
where any gold, silver, watches, jewels or precious stones on board the ship are lost or damaged by reason of theft, robbery or other dishonest conduct and their nature and value were not at the time of shipment declared by their owner or shipper to the owner or master of the ship in the bill of lading or otherwise in writing.
Subject to subsection (3), where the loss or damage arises from anything done or omitted by any person in his or her capacity as master or member of the crew or (otherwise than in that capacity) in the course of his or her employment as a servant of the owner of the ship, subsection (1) also excludes the liability of —
master
“master” includes every person, except a pilot, having command or charge of any ship;
the master, member of the crew or servant; and
in a case where the master or member of the crew is the servant of a person whose liability would not be excluded by that subsection apart from this paragraph, the person whose servant he or she is.
This section does not exclude the liability of any person for any loss or damage resulting from any such personal act or omission of the person as is mentioned in Article 4 of the Convention.
Convention
“Convention” means the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims, 1976, as amended by the Protocol of 1996 to Amend the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims and set out in the First Schedule;
In this section, “owner”, in relation to a ship, includes any part owner and any charterer, manager or operator of the ship.
ship
“ship” means any kind of vessel used in navigation by water, however propelled or moved and includes —(a)a barge, lighter or other floating vessel;(b)an air-cushion vehicle, or other similar craft, used wholly or primarily in navigation by water; and(c)an off-shore industry mobile unit;