MERCHANT SHIPPING (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

11.55 a.m.

The Minister for Commerce and Industry (Mr J. M. Jumabhoy): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have the consent ot His Excellency the Governor to proceed with this Bill, and move "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This Bill, Sir, deals with a large number of amendments to the Merchant Shipping Ordinance. Some of these amendments are required to bring our Ordinance into line with its Federation counterpart. Others are required to meet changed conditions today. The nature of the amendments is such that none of them should arouse any controversy. As each amendment is explained in the Explanatory Note appended to the Bill, I will now deal with only the more salient features.

Section 12 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance exempts fishing boats exclusively employed in fishing on the Colony and Federation coasts from the provisions of Part II of the Ordinance which relates to master mariners and seamen and which includes the manning scales of vessels. Clause 3 of the Bill seeks to extend this exemption to in clude vessels solely transporting fish, vessels towing nibong poles for fishing stakes, and vessels engaged in the repair of fishing stakes. At the same time, it removes the restriction of the area of exemption which is now limited to the Colony and Federation coasts.

Clause 5 raises from 10 tons to 25 tons the minimum tonnage of vessels required to be manned by third-class engine-drivers and gives the Minister power to exempt vessels from this requirement.

Clause 11 transfers from a Court of Inquiry to the Minister the power to deal with a local certificate of competency, the holder of which has been convicted of a criminal offence connected with his work. To assist the Minister in dealing expeditiously with collisions between harbour craft, this clause enables the Minister to deal with certificates of competency of helmsmen, steersmen and engine-drivers, thereby avoiding the complicated procedure of a Court of Inquiry in minor cases such as these.

Clause 29 enables a Court of Investigation convened in Singapore to cancel or suspend local certificates of competency issued in the Federation of Malaya or in Sarawak. This has been agreed to with the Governments concerned.

Ships owned by foreign states are exempted under the Ordinance from the payment of Sunday labour fees. This exemption was originally intended to apply to ships of war, but certain states now run merchant vessels. Clauses 41 and 46 qualify the existing exemption to make the state-owned merchant vessels liable to pay Sunday labour fees while leaving the other state-owned vessels exempt.

There is a provision in the Singapore Port Rules, 1957, which prohibits the discharge of oil into the waters of the port. Clause 44 extends this prohibition to all the waters of the Colony and will ,assist in dealing with complaints that bathing beaches, marine life and coastal flora and fauna have been adversely affected by, the discharge of oil from vessels in Colony waters.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Committee Wednesday, 16th July, 1958.