SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY REGULATIONS

SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY REGULATIONS

SUPPRESSION OF PIRACY REGULATIONS.

(Cap. 200, section 18)*.

[16th March, 1928.]

1. These regulations may be cited as the Suppression of Piracy
Regulations.

2. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires

'passenger' means any person carried in a vessel, other than the owner,
charterer and licensee, their families, agents, servants and workmen,
and the master, pilot, officers, staff and crew;

',ship' includes any description of vessel used in navigation in the
propulsion of which use is made of any mechanical means other
than oars and sails, also any description of junk or craft, howsoever
propelled or moved, used or intended to be used for carrying any
passenger; and

,'vessel' includes any ship or boat, and any other description of craft
used in navigation.

3. The Commissioner of Police shall have power to search any
vessel, and after search to make further searches, and to detain any
vessel for such purpose, and he may delegate his powers under this
regulation.

4. Every vessel in the waters of the Colony shall stop when hailed
by the police.

5. The owners, agents, charterers and licensees shall notify the
Commissioner of Police confidentially beforehand on any occasion when
it is expected that treasure will be carried on a ship from or through the
waters of the Colony.

6. While any ship is lying alongside a wharf in the harbour of
Victoria, no person, except persons concerned in the loading or
unloading of the cargo of the ship, shall be permitted to come on board
the ship on the side of the ship away from the wharf, and no person
whatsoever shall be permitted to bring or put on board anything, except
cargo, on the side of the ship away from the wharf.

7. When the master of any ship propelled by any mechanical means
other than oars and sails in the waters of the Colony has any cause
whatever to believe that any vessel may be in need of assistance in
respect of a piratical attack, it shall be his duty, as

These regulations were made under the repealed Suppression of Piracy
Ordinance (Cap. 218, 1964 Ed.) and, by virtue of section 36(1) of the
Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance, continue to have the like effect
as if they had been made under the Crimes Ordinance (enacted in 1971 and
Cap. 200 in this edition).





far as reasonably may be, to approach such vessel as closely as
possible, to stand by it. to prevent the access of pirates thereto, to assist
in rescue work, to call other ships to the aid of the vessel attacked, and
do all such other acts as may be necessary or advisable to assist the
said vessel in repelling the attack, and after the attack, and he shall act
accordingly.

8. The owner, charterer, agent or licensee of any vessel not required
by or under these regulations to undergo search may apply to the
Commissioner of Police for police search of the vessel., the
Commissioner of Police may refuse to comply with any such application,
or may impose conditions on which any such application will be granted:
every search undertaken pursuant to this regulation shall be deemed to
be an authorized search under these regulations.

9. No ship required under these regulations to undergo police
search shall commence or attempt to commence a voyage or trip except
from a place and at an hour previously notified to and approved by the
Commissioner of Police. Such approval may be conveyed to masters and
others in charge of ships by special or general instructions issued from
time to time by the Commissioner of Police.

10. Subject to exemption granted under these regulations, no

ship shall carry or attempt to carry any passenger from the Colony or
through the waters of the Colony on a voyage to or including any port
or place

(a) on the Canton River, or

(b)on the West River or any river or estuary in the province of
Kwangtung or the province of Kwangsi or

(c) in either of the said provinces; or

(d) in Taiwan., or

(e)on the east coast of Asia south of Shanghai and north of
Singapore,

unless and until a search thereof, conducted in such manner as the
Commissioner of Police may direct and approve, shall have been carried
out, nor until the master or other person in charge thereof shall have
received -a certificate in writing signed by the Commissioner of Police, or
by some police officer authorized by the Coinmissioner of Police in that
behalf, from which it shall appear that such search has been completed.
Such certificate shall contain a concise statement of the result of the
search.

11. Subject to exemption granted under these regulations and to the
provisos herein contained, no ship shall carry any passenger or attempt
to carry any passenger from the harbour of Victoria oil any voyage in
the waters surrounding the Island of Hong Kong within the following
boundaries





(a) on the cast: a north and south line drawn through
the Fat Tong Mun Pass;
(b) on the west: a north and south line drawn through
the Kap Shui Mun Pass; and
(c) on the south: an cast and west line drawn through the
centre of Lo Chau or Beaufort Island,
and continued until it meets the east and
west boundaries

(hereinafter referred to as the local trade limits)

or leave or attempt to leave any place of mooring or place of call in the
waters of the Colony and outside the said harbour, while carrying or for
the purpose of carrying any passenger to any place within the local trade
limits, unless and until a search of the nature mentioned in regulation 10
has been carried out, nor until the master or other person in charge
thereof shall have obtained a certificate in writing of the kind mentioned
in regulation 10:

Provided that this regulation shall not apply

(a)in the case of any launch or motor boat on occasions when it is
used solely for purposes of pleasure; and

(b) to any ship anchoring solely for purposes of navigation.

12. No ship to which regulation 11 applies shall call at any place en
route unless such place of call and the intended hour of departure
therefrom have been notified to and approved by the Commissioner of
Police. Approved hours of departure shall be adhered to.

13. Except with the permission of the Commissioner of Ponce, or in
saving life or rescue work at sea, no person shall be allowed to embark
on and nothing shall be brought on board any ship after delivery of the
certificate required by regulations 10 and 11 and before leaving the
waters of the Colony, or arrival at the first place of call therein (notified
and approved as aforesaid), as the case may be.

14. (1) Every police officer in carrying out or taking part in any
search required or authorized by these regulations shall have power to
search any vessel and its stores and equipment, and the master, officers,
staff and crew, and their belongings, the passengers and their goods and
baggage, and the cargo, and every person and thing on board, and every
person who may apparently be about to go on board and everything
which apparently is about to be put on board, and may do all such acts
and things as may be reasonably necessary in order to carry out such
search effectually.

(2) The police officer in charge of any search party, and any police
officer superior to him, shall have power to detain any vessel until in his
opinion the searching shall have been completed.





(3) It shall be lawful for the police officer in charge of any
searching party, and any officer superior to him, to order that no
passenger or thing shall embark or be brought on board without
his express consent while the search is proceeding; no person shall
act contrary to such order; any such order shall be in force as
soon as the same shall have been communicated to the master or
other person in charge of the vessel.

(4) No person shall obstruct any such search or detention.

15. The master or other person in charge of a ship shall take
effective measures to cause, and he shall cause, the movements of
his ship to be in accordance with these regulations, and he shall
take effective measures to prevent, and he shall prevent, the coming
on board or embarkation of any person and the bringing on board
of anything contrary to or not in accordance with these regulations.

16. The Commissioner of Police shall have power, in his dis-
cretion, to exempt any vessel from any provision or requirement
of these regulations, either generally, or during any period, or on
any occasion, and to impose conditions of exemption. Every con-
dition imposed under this regulation shall be duly performed and
observed by the grantee.

17. These regulations shall not apply to any vessel being or
having the status of a ship of war.

18. Any person who contravenes any of the regulations 4, 5,
6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14(4) and 15 shall be liable to a fine of two
thousand dollars or to imprisonment for six months.
G.N. 134/28. G.N.A. 93/51. G.N.A. 93/51.

G.N. 134/28. G.N.A. 93/51. G.N.A. 93/51.

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