Merchant Shipping Act 1992

• Enactment Date: 11 March 1992
• Act Number: 2

• Full Act
• Act by Section
• Act As Enacted
• Amendments
• PDF annotated
• PDF unannotated

---

Number 2 of 1992

---

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT 1992

REVISED

Updated to 1 March 2022

---

This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Merchant Shipping Act 1992. It is prepared by the Law Reform Commission in accordance with its function under the Law Reform Commission Act 1975 (3/1975) to keep the law under review and to undertake revision and consolidation of statute law.

All Acts up to and including the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 (1/2022), enacted 4 March 2022, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Fishing Vessel (Radio Installations Survey) (Revocation) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 91 of 2022), made 1 March 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.

Disclaimer: While every care has been taken in the preparation of this Revised Act, the Law Reform Commission can assume no responsibility for and give no guarantees, undertakings or warranties concerning the accuracy, completeness or up to date nature of the information provided and does not accept any liability whatsoever arising from any errors or omissions. Please notify any errors, omissions and comments by email to

revisedacts@lawreform.ie.

---

Number 2 of 1992

---

MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT 1992

REVISED

Updated to 1 March 2022

---

Introduction

This Revised Act presents the text of the Act as it has been amended since enactment, and preserves the format in which it was passed.

Related legislation

Maritime Safety Acts 1992 to 2006: this Act is one of a group of Acts included in this collective citation (Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 (8/2006), s. 1(8)). The Acts in this group are:

• Merchant Shipping Act 1992 (2/1992)

• Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (14/2000)

• Maritime Safety Act 2005 (11/2005), Parts 2, 3, 4 (ss. 5-51)

• Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006 (8/2006), s. 104

Merchant Shipping Acts 1894 to 2015: this Act is one of a group of Acts included in this collective citation, to be construed together as one (Harbours Act 2015 (61/2015), s. 1(3)). The Acts in this group are:

• Merchant Shipping Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict.) c. 60

• Merchant Shipping Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict.) c. 59

• Merchant Shipping (Exemption from Pilotage) Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict.) c. 61 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict.) c. 14 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Mercantile Marine Fund) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict.) c. 44

• Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners & Others) Act 1900(63 & 64 Vict.) c. 32 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping Act 1906 (6 Edw. 7) c. 48

• Merchant Shipping Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7) c. 52(Repealed)

• Pilotage Act 1913 (2 & 3 Geo. 5) c. 31 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Certificates) Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5) c. 42 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Convention) Act 1914 (4 & 5 Geo. 5) c. 50 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Salvage) Act 1916 (6 & 7 Geo. 5) c. 41 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Wireless Telegraphy) Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo. 5) c. 38 (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act 1920 (10 & 11 Geo. 5) c. 2

• Merchant Shipping Act 1921 (11 & 12 Geo. 5) c. 28

• Merchant Shipping (Helm Orders) Act 1932 (32/1932) (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (International Labour Conventions) Act 1933 (29/1933)

• Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act 1933 (42/1933)

• Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act 1939 (12/1939)

• Merchant Shipping Act 1947 (46/1947)

• Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1952 (29/1952)

• Pilotage (Amendment) Act 1962 (2/1962) (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping Act 1966 (20/1966)

• Merchant Shipping (Load Lines) Act 1968 (17/1968)

• Merchant Shipping (Certification of Seamen) Act 1979 (37/1979)

• Merchant Shipping Act 1981 (33/1981)

• Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) Act 1983 (18/1983)

• Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1983 (27/1983), s. 8 in so far as it amends the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 and s. 10(2) (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping Act 1992 (2/1992)

• Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act 1993 (34/1993)

• Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1994 (23/1994) (Repealed)

• Merchant Shipping (Liability of Shipowners and Others) Act 1996 (35/1996)

• Merchant Shipping (Commissioners of Irish Lights) Act 1997 (37/1997)

• Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1998 (20/1998)

• Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (14/2000)

• Sea Pollution (Hazardous Substances) (Compensation) Act 2005 (9/2005), s. 28

• Maritime Safety Act 2005 (11/2005), other than Parts 5 and 6

• Merchant Shipping Act 2010 (14/2010), other than s. 93

• Local Government Reform Act 2014 (1/2014), s. 1(15) and the amendment to the Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act 1993 provided for in s. 5(6) and Schedule 2, Part 6 (note: the reference to s. 5(6) appears to refer to s. 5(8))

• Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014 (43/2014)

• Harbours Act 2015 (61/2015), s. 51

Annotations

This Revised Act is annotated and includes textual and non-textual amendments, statutory instruments made pursuant to the Act and previous affecting provisions.

An explanation of how to read annotations is available at

www.lawreform.ie/annotations.

Material not updated in this revision

Where other legislation is amended by this Act, those amendments may have been superseded by other amendments in other legislation, or the amended legislation may have been repealed or revoked. This information is not represented in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the amended legislation if one is available.

Where legislation or a fragment of legislation is referred to in annotations, changes to this legislation or fragment may not be reflected in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the legislation referred to if one is available.

A list of legislative changes to any Act, and to statutory instruments from 1972, may be found linked from the page of the Act or statutory instrument at

www.irishstatutebook.ie.

Acts which affect or previously affected this revision

• Harbours Act 2015 (61/2015)

• Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014 (43/2014)

• Merchant Shipping Act 2010 (14/2010)

• Fines Act 2010 (8/2010)

• Maritime Safety Act 2005 (11/2005)

• Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (14/2000)

• Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1998 (20/1998)

All Acts up to and including Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 (1/2022), enacted 4 March 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.

Statutory instruments which affect or previously affected this revision

• Fishing Vessel (Radio Installations Survey) (Revocation) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 91 of 2022)

• Fishing Vessel (Personal Flotation Devices) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 401 of 2018)

• Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 400 of 2018)

• Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 349 of 2012)

• Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011)

• European Communities (Passenger Ships) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 322 of 2011)

• Safety of Fishing Vessels Regulations 2007 (Revocation) Regulations 2011 (S.I. No. 53 of 2011)

• Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2010 (S.I. No. 595 of 2010)

• Merchant Shipping Fees (Amendment) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 390 of 2008)

• Fishing Vessel (Fees) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 246 of 2008)

• Fishing Vessel (Personal Flotation Devices) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 63 of 2008)

• Fishing Vessel (Fees) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 669 of 2007)

• Merchant Shipping (Safety of Fishing Vessels) (15-24 Metres) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 640 of 2007)

• Safety of Fishing Vessels Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 563 of 2007)

• Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005 Section 10(1)(2) (S.I. No 921 of 2005)

• Merchant Shipping (Passenger Boat Manning) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 649 of 2005)

• Maritime Safety Act 2005 (Fixed Payment Notices) (Sections 33 and 34) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 512 of 2005)

• Fishing Vessel (Fees) Regulations 2005 (S.I. No. 504 of 2005)

• Merchant Shipping (Pleasure Craft) (Lifejackets and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2004 Regulation 10(1)(2) (S.I. No. 259 of 2004)

• Merchant Shipping (Passenger Boat) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 648 of 2003)

• Licensing of Passenger Boats (Exemption) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 556 of 2002)

• Merchant Shipping (Passenger Boat) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 555 of 2002)

• Fishing Vessel (Radio Installations) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 472 of 2002)

• Fishing Vessels (Safety Provisions) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 418 of 2002)

• Licensing of Passenger Boats (Exemption) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 274 of 2002)

• Merchant Shipping (Passenger Boat) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 273 of 2002)

• Licensing of Passenger Boats (Exemption) (Number 2) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 631 of 2001)

• Fishing Vessel (Basic Safety Training) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 587 of 2001)

• Fishing Vessel (Personal Flotation Devices) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 586 of 2001)

• Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (Prescribed Classes of Vessels) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 285 of 2001)

• Merchant Shipping (Mechanically Propelled Pleasure Craft) (Safety) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 284 of 2001)

• Licensing of Passenger Boats (Exemption) Regulations 2001 (S.I. No. 172 of...