(1)
The Central Government may make rules for regulating in the interests of safety the carriage of dangerous goods in ships.
(2)
[ In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for the classification, packing, labelling and marking of such goods or any class of such goods, stowing of such goods (whether with or without other cargo) including plans for stowing, the fixing of the maximum quantity of any such class of goods which may be carried in different ships or classes of ships, and such other matters relating to dangerous goods as required to be provided for implementing the provisions of the Safety Convention.]
(3)
The owner, master or agent of a ship carrying or intending to carry any dangerous goods as cargo and about to make a voyage from a port in India shall furnish in advance the prescribed particulars of the ship and the cargo to such authority as may be prescribed for the purpose.
(4)
A surveyor may inspect the ship for the purpose of securing that any rules under this section are complied with.
(5)
If any of the rules made in pursuance of this section is not complied with in relation to any ship, the ship shall be deemed for the purpose of this Part to be an unsafe ship.
(6)
This section shall apply, in the same manner as it applies to Indian ships, to ships other than Indian ships while they are within any port in India or are embarking or disembarking passengers or are loading or, discharging cargo or fuel within Indian jurisdiction.
Explanation .-In this section, the expression "dangerous goods " means goods which by reason of the nature, quantity or mode of stowage are either singly or collectively liable to endanger the life or the health of persons on or near the ship or to imperil the ship, and includes all substances within the meaning of the expression "explosive " as defined in the Indian Explosives Act, 1884, and any other goods which the Central Government may by notification in the Official Gazette specify as dangerous goods [but shall not include,-
(a) any fog or distress signals or other stores or equipment required to be carried by the ship under this Act or the rules or regulations thereunder;
(b) particular cargoes carried in ships specially built or converted as a whole for that purpose, such as tankers.]
(1)
No grain shall be loaded on board any Indian ship anywhere unless there is in force in respect of such ship a grain-loading plan approved under sub-section (3) or sub-section (4).
(2)
The grain-loading plan shall be in such form and contain such particulars as to the stability of the ship, circumstances of loading on departure and arrival, the main characteristics of the fittings used to prevent the shifting of cargo and such other matters as may be prescribed, having regard to the rules made under sub-section (5) of section 332.
(3)
Save as otherwise provided in sub-section (4), the grain-loading plan shall be submitted to the Central Government for approval and that Government may, having regard to the rules made under sub-section (5) of section 332, the stability of the ship and the circumstances of loading on departure and arrival, approve the plan with such modifications, if any, as it may deem necessary.
(4)
The Central Government may request the Government of a country to which the Safety Convention applies to approve the grain-loading plan of an Indian ship and an approval given in pursuance of such a request and containing a statement that it has been so given shall have effect for the purposes of this section as if the approval had been given by the Central Government.
(5)
The Central Government may, at the request of the Government of a country to which the Safety Convention applies, approve the grain-loading plan of a ship registered in that country if the Central Government is satisfied, in the like manner as in the case of an Indian ship, that such approval can properly be given and where approval is given at such a request, it shall contain a statement that it has been so given.
(6)
It is hereby declared that for the purposes of section 208 (which requires document relating to navigation to be delivered by the master of a ship to his successor) the plan shall be deemed to be a document relating to the navigation of the ship.] [ Substituted by Act 21 of 1966, Section 26, for certain words (w.e.f. 28.5.1966).]