17. Government ship

Despite the other provisions of this Part, this Part does not apply in relation to any warship or any ship for the time being used by the government of any State otherwise than for commercial purposes.

In relation to a ship owned by a State and for the time being used for commercial purposes, it is a sufficient compliance with section 12(2) if there is in force a certificate issued by the government of that State and showing that the ship is owned by that State and that any liability for pollution damage as defined in Article 1 of the Bunker Convention will be met up to the limit prescribed by Article 7 of the Bunker Convention.

Every Bunker Convention State is, for the purposes of any proceedings brought in a court in Singapore to enforce a claim in respect of a liability incurred under section 3, deemed to have submitted to the jurisdiction of that court, and accordingly Rules of Court may provide for the manner in which those proceedings are to be commenced and carried on.

Nothing in subsection (3) authorises the issue of an enforcement order against the property of any State.