Merchant Shipping Act 1894

92Certificates of competency to be held by officers of ships.

(1)Every British foreign-going ship and every British home trade passenger ship, when going to sea from any place in the United Kingdom, and every foreign steamship carrying passengers between places in the United Kingdom, shall be provided with officers duly certificated under this Act according to the following scale :—

(a)In any case with a duly certificated master :

(b)If the ship is of one hundred tons burden or upwards, with at least one officer besides the master holding a certificate not lower than that of only mate in the case of a foreign-going ship, or of mate in the case of a home trade passenger ship :

(c)If the ship is a foreign-going ship, and carries more than one mate, with at least the first and second mate duly certificated :

(d)If the ship is a foreign-going steamship of one hundred nominal horse-power or upwards, with at least two engineers, one of whom shall be a first-class and the other a first-class or second-class engineer duly certificated :

(e)If the ship is a foreign-going steamship of less than one hundred nominal horse-power, or a sea-going home trade passenger steamship, with at least one engineer who is a first-class or second-class engineer duly certificated.

(2)If any person—

(a)having been engaged as one of the above-mentioned officers goes to sea as such officer without being duly certificated ; or

(b)employs a person as an officer, in contravention of this section, without ascertaining that the person so serving is duly certificated,

that person shall be liable for each offence to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds:

(3)An officer shall not be deemed duly certificated, within the meaning of this section, unless he is the holder for the time being of a valid certificate of competency under this Act of a grade appropriate to his station in the ship, or of a higher grade.