The Marine Navigation Act 2013 (c. 23) (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 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), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

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 wh ...

promoted by

Sheryll Murray Sheryll Murray (; 4 February 1956) is a British Conservative Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Cornwall from 2010 to 2024. Early life and career Sheryll Hickman was born in Millbrook, Cornwall, on 4 F ...

(the

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

MP for South East Cornwall) 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 Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

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 othe ...

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 Pilotage Act 1987 (c. 21) is a UK act of Parliament that governs the operation of maritime pilotage. The act repealed the previous pilotage legislation in its entirety, the Pilotage Act 1983 (c. 21), which itself had repealed the Pilotag ...

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 () 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 with , which is ...

deck officer The deck department is an organisational team on board naval and merchant ships. Seafarers in the deck department work a variety of jobs on a ship or vessel, but primarily they will carry out the navigation of a vessel from the bridge. Howeve ...

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

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and

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

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 poli ...

). * 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 A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

to mark wrecks. * Section 10 provides for statutory instruments 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