MERCHANT SHIPPING (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.45 p.m.

The Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour (Mr Ong Teng Cheong): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

This Bill seeks to amend the Merchant Shipping Act (Chapter 172) in the sections on:

(a) The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea;

(b) Limitation of Shipowners' Liability;

(c) Protection of the Submarine Cable; and

(d) Registration of Ships.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea

The amendment on the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is to enable Singapore to accede to the Convention signed in London on 1st November, 1974, which had replaced a similar Convention signed in 1960. The Convention specifies minimum standards on the construction, equipment and operation of ships for which all Singapore ships must adhere to.

Limitation of Shipowners Liability

The amendment to the section on Limitation of Liability is to make shipowners wholly liable for the cost of wreck-removal and of repairs to facilities at the Port of Singapore Authority whenever there is an accident in its waters. Without the amendment, shipowners can limit their liability to such damages if they can prove that the accident occurred without their fault or privity, as provided for in the International Convention Relating to the Limitation of Liability of Owners of Sea-Going Ships, 1957. When we acceded to the Convention, we made the reservation that a shipowner should not be entitled to limit his liability in this way. But this reservation is not reflected in the existing legislation and the amendment is, therefore, necessary.

Protection of Submarine Cable

The new addition to Section 342 on the Protection of the Submarine Cable is to impose stricter penalties on ships anchoring in the Submarine Cable Corridor which is a prohibited anchorage area. The amendment empowers the Portmaster to refuse port clearance to any ship inadvertently anchored in the prohibited area unless the owner, agent or master of the ship deposits a sum of money, specified by the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore, to meet the cost of repairing any damaged cable. This amendment is necessary because the number of ships anchoring in the Corridor has increased and the cable damaged on several occasions.

Registration of Ships

Sections 396, 399 and 410 on the Registration of Ships are being amended to introduce stricter requirements on ships registered in Singapore and to give the Minister power to refuse registration. Detailed requirements on ownership, type, size and age of ships will be made under subsidiary legislation. These new requirements will mean the end of the open registry of ships in Singapore introduced in 1969. At that time, one of the aims was to create employment opportunities for local seamen. This has been achieved and by the end of 1980, 78% of local seamen were employed on Singapore ships compared to only 13% in 1967.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

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

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Ong Teng Cheong].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.