Section 47
of Merchant Shipping Ports Harbours And Dues Regulations 1961
Section 47
The following provision in regard to the loading or unloading of explosives and dangerous goods into or from vessels in any port or harbour shall be duly observed –
(a)
no explosives or dangerous goods shall be loaded from, landed at, brought into or deposited upon any quay, wharf, jetty, landing stage, shed, warehouse, building or other place, except at such place as the Port
Officer shall from time to time direct;
(b)
during the loading or unloading of explosives, there shall be no fires or artificial lights on board the vessel or vessels into or from which explosives are being loaded or unloaded, or in the vicinity of the explosives at the place where such loading or unloading is being carried on:
Provided that –
(i)
this regulation shall not prevent the use of an electric lighting installation or a safety lamp of a construction approved by the Port Officer nor of ships’ riding or signal lights so disposed as to prevent any risk of fire or explosion; and
(ii)
this regulation shall not be held to apply to engine-room fires when the same have been previously carefully banked;
For Reference Only
Subsidiary Legislation 7 of 22
Merchant Shipping (Ports, Harbours and Dues) Regulations 1961
(c)
no smoking shall be allowed at or near the place where explosives or dangerous goods are being loaded or unloaded, and no person engaged in such loading or unloading shall carry fuzees, matches or any appliances whatsoever for producing ignition;
(d)
no person engaged in loading or unloading explosives shall wear boots or shoes with iron nails, or shod or strengthened with iron, unless such boots or shoes are covered with leather, india-rubber, felt or other material, in the form of overshoes or otherwise;
(e)
no person under the influence of drink shall be allowed on board any vessel into or from which explosives or dangerous goods are being loaded or unloaded, or shall be permitted to approach any explosives or dangerous goods while in the course of being loaded or unloaded;
(f)
in loading or unloading explosives or dangerous goods, no package containing the same shall be thrown down or roughly handled; and, where a package is to be slung, due precaution shall be taken to sling the same in such manner as effectually to prevent the possibility of a fall;
(g)
no explosives or dangerous goods shall be placed on any wharf, quay or jetty until the vessel or carriage by which the same is to be removed therefrom shall be at the place in readiness to receive the same. When the loading or unloading of explosives or dangerous goods has been commenced, such loading or unloading shall be proceeded with due diligence;
(h)
the wharf and stages, and the hold, gangways and decks of any vessel into or from which explosives has been or is to be loaded or unloaded, shall be carefully cleaned and swept immediately before and after such loading or unloading;
(i)
if any explosive or dangerous goods shall escape from the package in which they are contained, or be split, such explosives or dangerous goods shall immediately be carefully collected and disposed of safely;
(j)
during the whole of the time when explosives or dangerous goods are being loaded into or unloaded from any ship, there shall be present an officer of such ship specially charged with the supervision of such loading or unloading;
(k)
cushions of leather stuffed with oakum, or of such description as may be approved by the Port Officer, shall be provided and used in the loading and unloading of explosives to protect the packages containing the same concussion, in such manner as the Port Officer may direct;
(l)
while the loading or unloading of explosives and dangerous goods are being carried out, all persons engaged in such loading and unloading shall take all due precautions for the prevention of accidents and for preventing unauthorized persons from having access to the explosives and dangerous goods, and shall abstain from any act which tends to cause fire explosion or other accidents and is not reasonably necessary for the purpose of such loading or unloading; and shall use every reasonable endeavour to prevent any other person from committing any such act;
(m)
the loading and unloading of explosives and dangerous goods shall not be carried out except between the hours of sunrise and sunset;
(n)
when the loading in a port of a vessel with explosives for discharge outside the port is completed, that vessel shall, as soon as is reasonably practicable, be taken out of the harbour area:
For Reference Only
Subsidiary Legislation 8 of 22
Merchant Shipping (Ports, Harbours and Dues) Regulations 1961
Provided that, where the Port Officer considers any one or more of the provisions contained in this regulation unnecessary for ensuring the safety of life and property in the case of the loading or unloading of any particular explosives or dangerous goods or of any particular cargo or consignment of explosives or dangerous goods, he may in writing exempt the owner of such consignment of explosives from compliance with such provision or provisions.