Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1952

Number 29 of 1952

MERCHANT SHIPPING (SAFETY CONVENTION) ACT 1952

REVISED

Updated to 5 March 2025

This Revised Act is an administrative consolidation of the Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1952. 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 Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 2025 (1/2025), enacted 21 February 2025, and all statutory instruments up to and including the Merchant Shipping (Fire Protection) (Amendment) Rules 2025 (S.I. No. 62 of 2025), made 5 March 2025, were considered in the preparation of this Revised Act.

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 29 of 1952.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (SAFETY CONVENTION) ACT 1952

REVISED

Updated to 5 March 2025

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

PART I.

Preliminary and General.

Section
1.	Short title and collective citation.
2.	Commencement.
3.	Interpretation and construction.
4.	Countries to which Safety Convention applies.
5.	Power of the Minister to prescribe fees.
6.	Collection and disposal of fees.
7.	Laying of orders, rules and regulations before Oireachtas.
8.	Repeals.
9.	Transitional provisions.

PART II.

Safety of Life at Sea.

Construction and Equipment.

10.	Construction rules.
11.	Rules for life-saving appliances. (Repealed)
12.	Amendment of section 430 of Principal Act. (Repealed)
13.	Amendment of Principal Act. (Repealed)
14.	Amendment of section 9 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1906. (Repealed)
15.	Radio rules.
16.	Radio surveyors.
17.	Survey of passenger steamers by radio surveyors.
18.	Rules for direction-finders.
19.	Further provisions as to radio navigational aids. (Repealed)

Certificates.

20.	Issue for passengers steamers of safety certificates and exemption certificates.
21.	Modification of safety certificates as respects life-saving appliances.
22.	Issue for cargo ships of safety equipment certificates and exemption certificates.
23.	Issue for cargo ships of radio certificates and exemption certificates.
24.	Issue of general safety certificates, etc., on partial compliance with rules.
25.	Notice of alterations and additional surveys.
26.	Prohibition on proceedings to sea without appropriate certificates.
27.	Miscellaneous provisions as to surveys and certificates.

Safety Convention Ships not Registered in the State.

28.	Certificates of Convention ships not registered in the State.
29.	Modified survey of passenger steamers holding Convention certificates.
30.	Miscellaneous privileges of ships holding Convention certificates.
31.	Further provisions as to the production of Convention certificates.

Miscellaneous Provisions for Furthering Safety of Life at Sea.

32.	Information about ship's stability. (Repealed)
33.	Openings in passenger steamers' hulls and watertight bulkheads.
34.	Submersion of sub-division load lines. (Repealed)
35.	Report of dangers to navigation.
36.	Signals of distress.
37.	Obligation to assist vessels, etc., in distress.
38.	Carriage of dangerous goods.
39.	Carriage of grain.
40.	Method of giving helm orders.
41.	Careful navigation near ice.
42.	Notice of Atlantic routes.

Supplemental.

43.	Definition of “ passenger ” and “ passenger steamer ”.
44.	Removing persons in case of danger.
45.	Power of Minister to exempt from safety requirements.
46.	Exemption of certain ships from certain provisions of this Act.
47.	Consequential amendments of Merchant Shipping Acts.

FIRST SCHEDULE.

Enactments Repealed.

SECOND SCHEDULE.

Transitional Provisions.

Acts Referred to
Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act, 1933	No. 42 of 1933
Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1926	No. 45 of 1926

Number 29 of 1952.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (SAFETY CONVENTION) ACT 1952

REVISED

Updated to 5 March 2025

AN ACT TO ENABLE EFFECT TO BE GIVEN TO AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA, SIGNED IN LONDON ON THE 10th DAY OF JUNE, 1948; TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACTS, 1894 TO 1947, RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF PASSENGER STEAMERS, TO LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES, WIRELESS AND RADIO NAVIGATIONAL AIDS AND TO OTHER MATTERS AFFECTED BY THE SAID CONVENTION; AND TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE CHARGING OF FEES. [17th December, 1952.]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:—

Annotations

Modifications (not altering text)

References construed and application of Act extended (25.01.1983) by Merchant Shipping Act 1981 (33/1981), s. 2(2)(a), (b), S.I. No. 15 of 1983.

Modifications of Act of 1952 and Act of 1966 for purposes of Convention of 1974.

2.—(1) The provisions of this section shall have effect for the purposes of enabling effect to be given to the Convention of 1974 (which replaces the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea signed in London on behalf of the Government on the 17th day of June, 1960).

(2) The Act of 1952 shall have effect as if—

(a) for the references therein to the Safety Convention there were substituted references to the Convention of 1974; and

(b) references therein to that Act, except in sections 1 and 2, included references to this Act.

Application of Act extended (14.05.1967) by Merchant Shipping Act 1966 (20/1966), s. 2(2), S.I. No. 54 of 1967.

Application of Act of 1952 to the Convention.

2.—For the purpose of enabling effect to be given to the Convention (which replaces the Safety Convention), the Act of 1952 shall have effect as if—

(a) for references therein to the Safety Convention there were substituted references to the Convention; and

(b) references therein to that Act, except in sections 1 and 2, included references to this Act.

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Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act 1952