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  • Book 9: Supplement to the volume on Laws Concerning Nationality 1954 (1959)
  • Book 8: Supplement to Laws and Regulations on the Regime of the High Seas (Volumes I and II) and Laws Concerning the Nationality of Ships (1959)
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  • Book 5: Laws Concerning the Nationality of Ships (1955)
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• Codification Division

Book 5: Laws Concerning the Nationality of Ships (1955)

Complete PDF
General Table of Contents			Page
1.	Argentina:
		National Coastal Merchant Shipping Act, No. 12980, 1944	1
2.	Australia :
		Merchant: Shipping Act, 1894	3
3.	Belgique:
	(a)	Loi du 20 septembre 1903 sur les lettres de mer	3
	(b)	Arrêté Royal n° 690 du 8 novembre 1920 portant règlement pour l'application de la loi du 25 août 1920 sur la sécurité des navires	5
4.	Brazil:
	(a)	Port Officers Regulations, made under Decree No. 5798, of 11 June 1940	6
	(b)	Constitution of 18 September 1946	8
5.	Bulgaria:
		Decree of 28 September 1953 concerning merchant shipping	8
5a	Burma
	(a)	Merchant Shipping Act, 1894	205
	(b)	Merchant Shipping (Registration of Burma Government Ships) Order, 1937	205
6.	Cambodge:
		Loi (Krâm) n° 901-NS du 13 septembre 1954	10
7.	Canada:
		Canada Shipping Act, 1934	11
8.	Ceylon:
		Merchant Shipping Act, 1894	16
9.	Chile:
	(a)	Commercial Code, of 23 November 1865	16
	(b)	Shipping Act, 1878	17
	(c)	Act No. 6415 of 4 October 1939, to reserve the coastal trade to ships of the merchant marine	20
10.	China:
	(a)	Maritime Commerce Act of 30 December 1929	21
	(b)	Shipping Act of 4 December 1930	22
	(c)	Shipping Registration Act of 5 December 1930	24
	(d)	Regulations of 25 November 1930	25
11.	Colombia:
	(a)	Maritime Commercial Code, 1870-1887	25
	(b)	Fiscal Code, 1873-1905	26
	(c)	Legislative Decree No. 3183, 1952, concerning Colombian merchant shipping	27
12.	Costa Rica:
		Act No. 12 of 21 October 1941 governing the operation of national ships	28
13.	Cuba:
	(a)	Commercial Code, 1886	34
	(b)	Circular No. 276 of 5 July 1904 of the Ministry of Finance, on the registration of maritime property	34
	(c)	Decree No. 1444 of 6 October 1932	35
14.	Czechoslovakia:
	(a)	Shipping Act of 29 October 1952	36
	(b)	Order of 25 August 1953, made under the Shipping Act of 29 October 1952	37
15.	Denmark:
	(a)	Shipping Act No. 319 of 7 May 1937	39
	(b)	Shipping Registration Act of 1 April 1892, as amended 4 May 1927 and 28 March 1951	39
16.	Dominican Republic:
		(a)Port Authorities Act No. 1084 of 12 January 1946	42
		(b) Control of Ports and Coasts Act, No. 3003 of 12 July 1951	42
17.	Ecuador:
		Shipping Code, 1945	43
18.	Egypte:
	(a)	Loi n° 84 du 14 juillet 1949 relative à l'enregistrement des bateaux de commerce	44
	(b)	Arrêté n° 12 du 1er juillet 1950 interdisant la vente de navires battant pavillon égyptien sans l'autorisation préalable du Ministre des communications	46
	(c)	Loi n° 61 du 18 juillet 1940 relative aux capitaines, officiers de pont et ingénieurs maritimes de la marine marchande	47
19.	Ethiopia:
		Maritime Proclamation No. 137 of 25 September 1953	47
20.	Finland:
	(a)	Shipping Act No. 167 of 9 June 1939	50
	(b)	Shipping Register Act, No. 211 of 29 July 1927	51
21.	France:
	(a)	Code des douanes du 8 décembre 1948	53
	(b)	Décret du 24 juillet 1923 relatif aux autorisations de vente et d'achat de navires	56
	(c)	Décret du 9 mai 1940 autorisant l'octroi de dérogations àl'interdiction de franciser tout navire de pêche de plus de 100 tonneaux de jauge brute et de plus de cinq ans d'âge	56
	(d)	Arrêté du 22 décembre 1940	56
	(e)	Loi du 22 octobre 1941 subordonnant àune autorisation la mise en chantier pour compte privé des bâtiments destinés à naviguer dans les eaux maritimes	57
	(f)	Décret n° 47-1351 du 28juin 1947 portant extension àla Guadeloupe, àla Guyane française, àla Martinique, et àla Réunion de la législation métropolitaine en matière de marine marchande et de pêche maritime	57
	(g)	Décret n° 47-2390 du 27 décembre 1947	57
	Maroc
	(a)	Code de commerce maritime, 1919-1953	58
	(b)	Arrêté viziriel du 7 avril 1934 (22 hija 1352) fixant la proportion des marins de nationalité marocaine qui doivent être embarqués à bord des navires armés sous pavillon chérifien	62
	Tunisie
	Décret du 15 décembre 1906 (modifié)		62
22.	Germany, Federal Republic of:
	(a)	Order of 7 June 1950 respecting the use of the German flag	64
	(b)	Act of 8 February 1951 respecting the right to use the flag on sea-going ships	64
	(c)	Executive Order of 23 February 1951 under the Act respecting the right to use the flag	66
	(d)	Second Executive Order of 31 March 1951 under the Act respecting the right to use the flag	68
	(e)	Administrative Order respecting flag attestations (Flaggenbescheinigungen) for sea-going ships in the public service, 27 April 1951	68
23.	Greece:
	(a)	Decree of 14 November 1836 concerning merchant shipping	68
	(b)	Commercial Code (Amendment) Act No. 3717 of 1910	70
24.	Guatemala:
	(a)	Commercial Code of 1942	72
	(b)	Ports Regulations of 21 April 1939	72
25.	Haiti:
		Loi sur les douanes du 4 septembre 1905, modifiée par décret du 30 octobre 1950	74
26.	Honduras:
		Organic Act of the National Merchant Marine No. 55 of 2 March 1943	75
27.	Hungary:
	(a)	Merchant Ships Registration Decree, 1922	77
	(b)	Order of the Minister of Commerce, No. 53081 of 1922, to give effect to the Merchant Ships Registration Decree, 1922	78
28.	Iceland:
		Shipping Registration Act No. 17 of 18 March 1948	79
29.	India:
	(a)	Merchant Shipping Act, 1894	81
	(b)	Act No. X of 5th July 1841	81
	(c)	Merchant Shipping Laws Act, No. XVIII of 1949	83
	(d)	Notification of the Government of India, 22 January 1952	83
30.	Ireland:
	(a)	Merchant Shipping Act, 1894	85
	(b)	Nationality and Citizenship [No. 13] Act, 1935	85
	(c)	Merchant Shipping Act No. 46 of 23 December 1947	85
31.	Israel:
		Ships (Nationality and Flag) Ordinance, No. 3 of 5708-1948	86
32.	Italy:
	(a)	Shipping Code of 30 March 1942	86
	(b)	Regulations No. 328 of 15 February 1952	88
33.	Japan:
	(a)	Shipping Act of 1899, amended to 1954	90
	(b)	Ordinance No. 24 of 12 June 1899 (as amended)	92
34.	Korea:
	(a)	Shipping Ordinance of 7 April 1914	93
	(b)	Shipping Act of 8 March 1899	93
	(c)	Regulations of 31 May 1914 for giving effect to the shipping ordinance	94
35.	Liban:
		Code maritime du 18 février 1947	94
36.	Liberia:
	(a)	Maritime Code of 18 December 1948 as amended 22 December 1949	96
	(b)	Maritime Regulations, to and including 15 May 1953	98
37.	Libya:
		Maritime Code of 28 November 1953	99
38.	Mexico:
	(a)	General Means of Communication Act of 30 December 1939	101
	(b)	National Merchant Ships (Grant of flag and registration) Regulations of 1946	102
	(c)	Commercial Code of 15 September 1889	108
39.	Monaco:
		Ordonnance du 15 octobre 1915 sur la naturalisation monégasque des navires	109
40.	The Netherlands:
	(a)	Commercial Code, as amended on 22 December 1924 and 10 June 1926	111
	(b)	Note of 23 September 1954 received from the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations	113
41.	New Zealand:
		Shipping and Seamen Act No. 49 of 23 October 1952	115
42.	Nicaragua:
		Laws relating to customs and harbours	123
43.	Norway:
	(a)	Shipping Act of 20 July 1893	124
	(b)	Ships Registration Act of 4 May 1901	125
44.	Pakistan:
	(a)	Merchant Shipping Act, 1894	127
	(b)	The Registration of Ships Act of 5 July 1841	127
	(c)	Registration of Ships Amendment Act No. XI of 15 March 1850	129
45.	Panama:
	(a)	Commercial Code of 22 August 1916	129
	(b)	Law No. 8 of 12 January 1925, establishing procedure for the nationalization and measurement of vessels, and prescribing other measures	130
	(c)	Law No. 54 of 1926 (approved December 11) amplifying Law No. 8 of 1925	133
	(d)	Law No. 67 of 11 November 1947, adopting the Labor Code	134
46.	Peru:
	(a)	Port Authorities and National Merchant Marine Regulations of 31 October 1951	134
	(b)	Commercial Code	136
	(c)	Act concerning coastwise trade by Peruvian vessels, No. 6207 of 14 May 1928	137
	(d)	Act concerning the sale of steamships and sailing ships using the Peruvian flag, No. 2761 of 19 June 1918	137
47.	Philippines:
		Administrative Code of 1917, as revised	137
48.	Poland:
		Act of 28 May 1920 concerning Polish merchant marine vessels	142
49.	Portugal:
	(a)	Shipping Act of 8 July 1863	145
	(b)	Decree No. 15,360 of 9 April 1928	146
	(c)	Decree No. 1,787 of 25 June 1925	151
	(d)	Legislative Decree No. 37,052 of 9 September 1948	151
50.	Romania:
		Decree No. 40 of 14 February 1950, concerning the merchant marine	151
51.	Spain:
	(a)	Memorandum by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated 7 September 1954	153
	(b)	Regulations made on 13 October 1913, under the Act of 14 June 1909 to protect and encourage maritime industries and communications	153
	(c)	Commercial Register Regulations of 20 September 1919	154
	(d)	Decree of 22 August 1931 prohibiting the transfer of ships to aliens	154
	(e)	Act of 27 February 1939 concerning shipping mortgages in favour of aliens	155
52.	Suisse:
	(a)	Arrêté du Conseil fédéral concernant la Navigation maritime sous pavillon suisse (du 9 avril 1941)	155
	(b)	Loi fédérale sur le registre des bateaux, du 28 septembre 1923	159
53.	Sweden:
	(a)	Maritime Law of 12 June 1891	162
	(b)	Ordinance of 18 October 1901 concerning the registration of Swedish vessels	163
	(c)	Ordinance of 4 December 1903 concerning passports and nationality documents for Swedish foreign-going vessels	165
54.	Syrie:
	(a)	Code de commerce maritime du 12 mars 1950	165
	(b)	Loi n° 185 du 10 juin 1954	167
55.	Thailand:
		Siamese Vessels Act B. E. 2481 (1938), enacted on 7 April B. E. 2482 (1939)	167
56.	Turkey:
	(a)	Commercial Code of 13 May 1929	170
	(b)	Registration of Turkish Ships Order, No. 11,045 of 18 May 1931	171
57.	Union of South Africa:
		Merchant Shipping Act No. 57 of 1951	172
58.	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics:
		Merchant Shipping Code, No. 366 of 14 June 1929	176
59.	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
		Merchant Shipping Act of 25 August 1894	180
60.	United States of America:
	(a)	United States Code	186
	(b)	Code of Federal Regulations	190
61.	Uruguay:
		Act No. 10,945 (merchant marine: grant of national flag) of 10 October 1947	195
62.	Vatican City:
		Decree of the Papal Commission for the State of Vatican City, No. LXVII of 15 September 1951, concerning shipping under the flag of the State of Vatican City	198
63.	Venezuela:
		Shipping Act of 9 August 1944	199
64.	Viet-Nam:
		Ordonnance n° 6 du 19 avril 1951 portant réglementation provisoire de la marine marchande	202
65.	Yugoslavia:
		Act of 23 January 1950 concerning the establishment of a flag of the merchant marine and inland navigation fleet of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia	203