### Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance 《商船(安全)條例》

15. Issue for passenger ships of safety certificates and exemption certificates
(1) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a passenger ship registered in Hong Kong is satisfied—
(a) that the ship complies with the passenger ship construction regulations, the life-saving appliances regulations, the fire-fighting appliances regulations, the radio regulations and the navigational equipment regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on; and
(b) that it is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making sound signals required by the collision regulations,
he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship a general safety certificate showing that the ship complies with the requirements of the Convention applicable to such ship and such voyage:
Provided that if the voyages on which the ship is to be engaged are short international voyages and it complies only with such of those regulations as are applicable to those voyages, the certificate shall show that the ship complies with the requirements of the Convention applicable to it as a ship plying on short international voyages.(2) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a passenger ship to which subsection (1) applies, is satisfied that—
(a) the ship is exempt, by virtue of any exercise by him of a power in that behalf conferred on him by this Ordinance or conferred on him by regulations made under this Ordinance, from any of the requirements of the passenger ship construction regulations, the life-saving appliances regulations, the fire-fighting appliances regulations, the radio regulations or the navigational equipment regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on, whether short voyages or otherwise;
(b) it complies with the rest of those requirements; and
(c) it is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making sound signals required by the collision regulations,
he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship—
(i) an exemption certificate stating which of the requirements of the Convention applicable as aforesaid the ship is exempt from and that the exemption is conditional on the ship’s plying only on the voyages and being engaged only in the trades and complying with the other conditions (if any) specified in the certificate; and
(ii) a qualified safety certificate or a qualified short voyage safety certificate, as the case may be, showing that the ship complies with the rest of those requirements.

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance 《商船(安全)條例》

16. Modification of safety certificate in respect of life-saving appliances
(1) If, on any international voyage, a passenger ship registered in Hong Kong in respect of which a safety certificate is in force has on board a total number of persons less than the number stated in that certificate to be the number for which the life-saving appliances on the ship provide, the Director may, at the request of the owner, agent or master of the ship, issue a memorandum stating—
(a) the total number of persons carried on the ship on that voyage; and
(b) the consequent modification which may be made for the purpose of that voyage in the particulars with respect to life-saving appliances stated in the certificate.
(2) Any memorandum issued under subsection (1) shall—
(a) be annexed to the certificate to which it relates; and
(b) be submitted to the Director at the end of the voyage to which it relates.
(3) If a memorandum issued under subsection (1) is not submitted to the Director at the end of the voyage to which it relates the master of the ship commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 1. (Amended E.R. 5 of 2021)

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance 《商船(安全)條例》

17. Issue for cargo ships of safety equipment certificates and exemption certificates
(1) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a ship registered in Hong Kong not being a passenger ship, is satisfied—
(a) that the ship complies with the life-saving appliances regulations and the fire-fighting appliances regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on; and
(b) that it is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making sound signals required by the collision regulations,
he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship a cargo ship safety equipment certificate showing that the ship complies with such of the requirements of the Convention relating to those matters as are applicable as aforesaid.
(2) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a ship to which subsection (1) applies, is satisfied that—
(a) the ship is exempt, by virtue of any exercise by him of a power in that behalf conferred on him by this Ordinance or conferred on him by the life-saving appliances regulations and the fire-fighting appliances regulations, from any of the requirements of those regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on;
(b) it complies with the rest of those requirements; and
(c) it is properly provided with the lights, shapes and means of making sound signals required by the collision regulations,
he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship—
(i) an exemption certificate stating which of the requirements of the Convention, being requirements the subject of the life-saving appliances regulations and the fire-fighting appliances regulations and applicable as aforesaid, the ship is exempt from, and that the exemption is conditional on the ship’s plying only on the voyages and complying with the other conditions (if any) specified in the certificate; and
(ii) a qualified cargo ship safety equipment certificate showing that the ship complies with the rest of those requirements.

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance 《商船(安全)條例》

18. Issue for cargo ships of radio certificates and exemption certificates
(1) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a ship registered in Hong Kong not being a passenger ship, is satisfied that the ship complies with the radio regulations and the navigational equipment regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on, he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship a cargo ship safety radio certificate showing that the ship complies with such of the requirements of the Convention relating to radio installations and shipborne navigational equipment as are applicable.
(2) If the Director, on receipt of a declaration of survey in respect of a ship to which subsection (1) applies, is satisfied—
(a) that the ship is exempt, by virtue of any exercise by him of a power in that behalf conferred on him by this Ordinance or conferred on him by the regulations in question, from any of the requirements of the radio regulations or the navigational equipment regulations applicable to the ship and to such international voyages as it is to be engaged on; and
(b) that it complies with the rest of the requirements of those regulations,
he shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue in respect of the ship—
(i) an exemption certificate stating which of the requirements of the Convention relating to radio installations and shipborne navigational equipment, being requirements applicable as aforesaid, the ship is exempt from, and that the exemption is conditional on the ship’s plying only on the voyages and complying with the other conditions (if any) specified in the certificate; and
(ii) a qualified cargo ship safety radio certificate showing that the ship complies with the rest of those requirements.
(3) Where any ship registered in Hong Kong is wholly exempt from the requirements of the radio regulations and the navigational equipment regulations, the Director shall, on the application of the owner, agent or master, issue an exemption certificate stating that the ship is wholly exempt from the requirements of the Convention relating to radio installations and shipborne navigational equipment and specifying the voyages on which, and conditions (if any) on which, the ship is so exempt.
(Amended 6 of 2000 s. 3)

### Merchant Shipping (Safety) Ordinance 《商船(安全)條例》

20. Issue of general safety certificates, etc. on partial compliance with regulations
Where a ship complies with all the requirements of the passenger ship construction regulations, the life-saving appliance regulations, the fire-fighting appliances regulations, the radio regulations and the navigational equipment regulations applicable to the ship and to the voyages on which it is to be engaged so far as those requirements are requirements of the Convention applicable as aforesaid, the Director may issue in respect of the ship a general safety certificate, short voyage safety certificate, cargo ship safety equipment certificate or cargo ship safety radio certificate, as the case may be, notwithstanding that it is exempt from, or for some other reason does not comply with, any requirements of those regulations which are not applicable requirements of the Convention.