Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 234), article 261

261. (1) This article applies to any foreign ship which, being a ship to which the load line provisions of this Act apply - (a) is registered in a Convention country or, not being registered in any such count ry or elsewhere, flies the flag of a Conven tion country; and (b) is either an existing ship of not less than one hundred and fifty tons gross tonnage or a new ship of not less than twenty-four metres in length. (2) The Minister may, at the request of the government of a parent country of a ship to which this article applies, issue i n respect of the ship a certificate in such form as may be prescr ibed by the load line rules if the Mi nister is satisfied that he cou ld properly issue a certificate in respect of the ship under sub-a rticle (1) of article 255 if the ship w ere registered u nder this Act. (3) The load line rules may make such provision as appear to the Minister to be appropriate for securing that certificates w hich are issued as International Load Line Certificate (1966) in res pect of ships to which this article applies, and are so issued by governments other than the Government of Malta, shall be recognised for the purposes of th e load line provisions of this Act in such circumstances as may be prescribed by the rules. (4) Certificates issued as menti oned in sub-article (2) or sub- article (3) shall be included am ong the certificates to be call ed "International Load Line Certificates (1966)"; and for the purp oses of the load line provisions of this Act "valid Convention certificate" means a certi ficate which either- (a) has been issued under sub-article (2) and is for the time being in force, or (b) having been issued as mentioned in sub-article (3), is 128 CAP. 234.] MERCHANT SHIPPING produced in circumstances i n which it is required by the load line rules to be recognised for the purposes of the load line provisions in this Act. Compliance with load line rules. Amended by:  XIII. 1983.5; XXII. 2000.2.