### Suppression of Piracy Regulations 《遏止海盜行為規例》

14. (1) Every police officer in carrying out or taking part in any search required or authorized by these regulations shall have power to search any vessel and its stores and equipment, and the master, officers, staff and crew, and their belongings, the passengers and their goods and baggage, and the cargo, and every person and thing on board, and every person who may apparently be about to go on board and everything which apparently is about to be put on board, and may do all such acts and things as may be reasonably necessary in order to carry out such search effectually.
(2) The police officer in charge of any search party, and any police officer superior to him, shall have power to detain any vessel until in his opinion the searching shall have been completed.
(3) It shall be lawful for the police officer in charge of any searching party, and any officer superior to him, to order that no passenger or thing shall embark or be brought on board without his express consent while the search is proceeding; no person shall act contrary to such order; any such order shall be in force as soon as the same shall have been communicated to the master or other person in charge of the vessel.
(4) No person shall obstruct any such search or detention.

15. The master or other person in charge of a ship shall take effective measures to cause, and he shall cause, the movements of his ship to be in accordance with these regulations, and he shall take effective measures to prevent, and he shall prevent, the coming on board or embarkation of any person and the bringing on board of anything contrary to or not in accordance with these regulations.

16. The Commissioner of Police shall have power, in his discretion, to exempt any vessel from any provision or requirement of these regulations, either generally, or during any period, or on any occasion, and to impose conditions of exemption. Every condition imposed under this regulation shall be duly performed and observed by the grantee.

17. These regulations shall not apply to any vessel being or having the status of a ship of war.

18. Any person who contravenes any of the regulations 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14(4) and 15 shall be liable to a fine at level 1 or to imprisonment for six months.
(G.N.A. 93 of 1951; E.R. 2 of 2012)

### Crimes Ordinance 《刑事罪行條例》

1. Short title
This Ordinance may be cited as the Crimes Ordinance.

19A. Interpretation (Part III)
In this Part—
Hong Kong ship (香港船舶) means a ship which is registered or licensed in Hong Kong; (Added 13 of 1999 s. 3)

resident of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (香港特別行政區居民) means—
(a) a permanent resident of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and
(b) a person who is qualified to be issued with an identity card under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Cap. 177) but has no right of abode in Hong Kong under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115).

(Added 28 of 1998 s. 2)

19. Piracy with violence
Any person who with intent to commit or at the time of or immediately before or immediately after committing the offence of piracy in respect of any vessel—
(a) assaults with intent to murder any person on board of or belonging to the vessel; or
(b) wounds any such person; or
(c) unlawfully does any act by which the life of any such person may be endangered,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life. (Amended 24 of 1993 s. 4)
[cf. 1837 c. 88 s. 2 U.K.]

### Crimes Ordinance 《刑事罪行條例》

20. Piratical acts
(1) A person commits a piratical act if—
(a) being a resident of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he commits any piracy or robbery or any act of hostility or robbery against other residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the sea under colour of any commission from any foreign state or under pretence of authority from any person whatever; or (Amended 80 of 1982 s. 2; 23 of 1998 s. 2; 28 of 1998 s. 2)
(b) being on board any Hong Kong ship he— (Amended 13 of 1999 s. 3)
(i) turns pirate, enemy or rebel, and piratically runs away with the ship, or any boat, munitions or goods;
(ii) voluntarily yields up the ship, or any boat, munitions or goods to any pirate;
(iii) brings any seducing message from any pirate, enemy or rebel;
(iv) assaults the master of the ship in order to prevent him from fighting in defence of his ship and goods;
(v) confines the master of the ship; or
(vi) makes or endeavours to make a revolt in the ship.
(2) Any person who commits a piratical act shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for life.
[cf. 1698 c. 7 ss. 7 & 8 U.K.]

21. Trading, etc., with pirates
Any person who knowingly—
(a) trades with any pirate;
(b) furnishes any pirate with any munitions or stores of any kind;
(c) fits out any vessel with a design to trade with, supply or correspond with any pirate; or
(d) conspires or corresponds with any pirate,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for 10 years.
[cf. 1721 c. 24 s. 1 U.K.]

22. Being found on board piratical vessel and unable to prove non-complicity
(1) Any person who is found within Hong Kong on board any vessel equipped for the purposes of piracy, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction upon indictment to imprisonment for 3 years.
(2) It shall be a defence to a charge under subsection (1) if the person charged proves—
(a) that he was not on board the vessel willingly; or
(b) that he did not know that the vessel was equipped for the purposes of piracy.

### Crimes Ordinance 《刑事罪行條例》

23. Regulations
(1) The Chief Executive in Council may make regulations for all or any of the following matters— (Amended 13 of 1999 s. 3)
(a) searching vessels and persons for the prevention of piracy;
(b) imposing such restrictions on the movements and actions of vessels and persons as may seem to him desirable in order to render such search effective; and
(c) such other measures as may seem to him desirable for the prevention of piracy.
(2) Regulations made under this section may provide that a contravention of specified provisions thereof shall be an offence, and may prescribe penalties therefor not exceeding a fine at level 2 and imprisonment for 6 months. (Amended E.R. 4 of 2021)

23A. Interpretation (sections 23A to 23C)
In this section and in sections 23B and 23C—
act (作為) means an act of commission or an act of omission and includes a series of acts;
hovercraft (氣墊船) means a vehicle designed to be supported when in motion wholly, or partly, by air expelled from that vehicle to form a cushion of which the boundaries include the ground, water or other surface beneath the vehicle;
indictable offence (可公訴罪行) means any offence other than an offence which is triable only summarily;
ship (船舶) includes every description of vessel used in navigation and, subject to section 23B(7), also includes a hovercraft.
(Added 89 of 1990 s. 2. Amended 28 of 1998 s. 2; 13 of 1999 s. 3)