17. Power to detain vessels

Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 1981.

(1)

Notwithstanding any proceedings which may be instituted under section 4 or 6, the Director or the Port Master may detain any vessel if the Director or the Port Master has reasonable cause to believe that any oil or mixture containing oil, refuse, garbage, waste matter, substance of a dangerous or obnoxious nature or trade effluent has been discharged or has escaped from the vessel and that the owner of the vessel has incurred a liability under section 13 or 14, and the vessel may be so detained until the owner of the vessel deposits with the Government or the Port of Singapore Authority a sum of money or furnishes such security which would, in the opinion of the Director or the Port Master, be adequate to meet the owner’s liability incurred under section 13 or 14.

(2)

Section 3(1)(a) of the High Court (Admiralty Jurisdiction) Act [Cap. 123] shall be construed as extending to any claim in respect of a liability incurred by the owner of a ship under this Act.

Terms defined in s 2

Director
Defined · s 2
“Director” means the Director of Marine appointed under section 6 of the Merchant Shipping Act and includes the Deputy Director of Marine appointed under that section;
Open s 2
mixture containing oil
Defined · s 2
“mixture containing oil” means a mixture with an oil content of 100 parts or more in 1,000,000 parts of the mixture;
Open s 2
oil
Defined · s 2
“oil” means oil of any description and includes spirit produced from oil of any description, and also includes coal tar;
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owner
Defined · s 2
“owner”, in relation to a vessel, means the person registered as the owner of the vessel or, in the absence of registration, the person owning the vessel: Provided that in the case of a vessel owned by a state and operated by a company which in that state is registered as the vessel’s operator,
Open s 2
Port Master
Defined · s 2
“Port Master” means the Port Master appointed under section 30 of the Port of Singapore Authority Act and includes any Deputy Port Master appointed under that section;
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Port of Singapore Authority
Defined · s 2
“Port of Singapore Authority” means the Port of Singapore Authority established under the Port of Singapore Authority Act;
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ship
Defined · s 2
“ship” includes every description of vessel used in navigation not propelled by oars;
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substance of a dangerous or obnoxious nature
Defined · s 2
“substance of a dangerous or obnoxious nature” includes any substance which the Minister may, by notification published in the Gazette, declare to be deemed to be a substance of a dangerous or obnoxious nature, as the case may be, for the purposes of this Act;
Open s 2
trade effluent
Defined · s 2
“trade effluent” means the solid or liquid waste of any trade, business or manufacture;
Open s 2
vessel
Defined · s 2
“vessel” includes any ship, boat, air-cushioned vehicle, floating rig or platform used in any form of operations at sea or any other description of vessel.
Open s 2

Report

Read on from s 18