Shipping Bill passed

Parliament on Friday passed the Ghana Shipping Bill. The legislation when signed into law by the President would replace the existing Merchant Shipping Act, 1963 (Act 183).

It intends to bring the law governing maritime activity in Ghana into conformity with the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) conventions on maritime operations.

The existing Merchant Shipping Act was based on the English Merchant Shipping Act of 1894.

The bill incorporates crucial international maritime conventions including the Safety of life at sea Convention, the Load Line Convention, and the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims Conventions.

The rest are the Mortgages and Lines Conventions, Salvage Convention, the Tonnage Measurement Convention and the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

It makes adequate provisions for the regulation of inland waterways in Ghana.

Under the bill, the responsibility for the establishment of navigational aids would rest with the Ghana Maritime Authority if the bill is passed.

The function is now exercised by the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, but since the issue of safety of navigation should be the responsibility of the maritime administration, the bill transfers this function accordingly.

It would help address the problems of seafarers, especially, abandoned seamen since provision abound it in on how compensations are to be packaged for seafarers.

Lawyers would no longer conduct endless research for legal arguments and decisions on maritime issues since the bill would have compressed all relevant laws into one document.