Power to detain ships unfit to proceed to sea

(1) Where a Belizean registered ship, being in any port or harbour of Belize, is an unsafe ship, she may be provisionally detained for the purpose of being surveyed or for ascertaining the sufficiency of her crew and either finally detained or released in accordance with sub-sections (3), (4) and (5). (2) For the purposes of this section, a ship is an unsafe ship if by reason of the defective condition of her hull, equipment or machinery, or overloading, under-manning or improper loading she is unfit to proceed to sea without serious danger to human life, having regard to the nature of the service for which she is intended. 24 (3) The Harbour Master if he has reason to believe on complaint or otherwise that a Belizean registered ship is unsafe may order the ship to be provisionally detained as an unsafe ship for the purpose of being surveyed, and thereupon any officer of customs or of the Port Authority may detain such ship until her release is ordered by the Harbour Master or by the Supreme (4) When a ship has been provisionally detained, there shall be forthwith served on the master of the ship a written statement of the grounds of her detention and the Harbour Master may appoint some competent person or persons, hereinafter called the Inspector, to survey the ship and report thereon to the (5) The Harbour Master on receiving the report may either order the ship to be released either upon or without conditions, or if in his opinion the ship is unsafe, may order her to be finally detained either absolutely or until the performance of such conditions with respect to the execution of repairs or alterations or the unloading or reloading of cargo or the manning of the ship as the Harbour Master thinks necessary for the protection of human life and the Harbour Master may vary or add to any such