The Marine Navigation Act 2013 (introduced into

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as the ''Marine Navigation (No.2) Bill'') is an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

that amends various existing legislation, in particular relating to

pilotage Piloting or pilotage is the process of navigating on water or in the air using fixed points of reference on the sea or on land, usually with reference to a nautical chart or aeronautical chart to obtain a fix of the position of the vessel or air ...

and the powers of

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

authorities, ports police, and the general lighthouse authorities. The Act is the result of a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

promoted by

Sheryll Murray Sheryll Murray (formerly Sheryll Hickman; born 4 February 1956) is a British Conservative Party politician and former receptionist. She was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Cornwall at the 2010 general election. ...

(the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP for

South East Cornwall South East Cornwall is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Sheryll Murray, a Conservative. Boundaries 1983–2010: The District of Caradon, the Borough of Restormel wards of Fowey, Lostwit ...

) and Baroness Wilcox (a

peer). Much of its content has its origins in a draft Bill published by the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

in 2008. The Act achieved

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...

on 25 April 2013.

Content of the Act

There are 11 substantive sections in the Act: * Sections 1 to 4 deal with pilotage and pilotage exemption certificates, amending the

Pilotage Act 1987 The United Kingdom's Pilotage Act 1987 is an Act of Parliament that governs the operation of maritime pilotage. The Act repealed the previous pilotage legislation in its entirety, the Pilotage Act 1983, which itself had repealed the Pilotage Ac ...

principally to allow harbours to relinquish their duties and powers in relation to pilotage, and to permit pilotage exemption certificates to be issued to any qualified

bona fide In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...

deck officer The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. The department and its manning requirements, including the responsibilities of each rank are regulated within the STCW Convention, applicable only to the merchant ...

of a ship. * Sections 5 and 6 provide procedures for harbour authorities to obtain powers to make directions to ships in their waters, or to close the harbour. * Section 7 provides for ports police in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

to operate outside the port in relation to port matters or to make an arrest within a port in relation to a crime committed outside the port (dependent on the consent of the chief officer of the relevant

police area A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing. Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing pol ...

). * Sections 8, 9 and 11 relate to the powers of the general lighthouse authorities; their area of operation, their ability to enter into commercial agreements; and their use of electronic

aids to navigation Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

to mark

wrecks ''Wrecks'' is a one-man play by Neil LaBute, that was commissioned and produced by the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, Ireland. The play was a part of the city's Capital of Culture programme in 2005.LaBute, Neil''Wrecks'Wrecks: And Other Plays ...

. * Section 10 provides for

statutory instruments In many countries, a statutory instrument is a form of delegated legislation. United Kingdom Statutory instruments are the principal form of delegated or secondary legislation in the United Kingdom. National government Statutory instrument ...

relating to manning of ships to refer to documents that may then be updated over time without having to make a new statutory instrument.

References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2013 Ports and harbours of the United Kingdom Shipping in the United Kingdom