S.L. 234.30 Art. 3Safety Convention given force of law in Malta.

(1) The Safety Convention as may from time to time be in force, shall, unless otherwise provided in these rules and notwithstanding the provision of any other law, form part of and be enforceable as part of the Law of Malta and shall apply to all Maltese ships and to all other ships while they are in Maltese waters as determined by the said Convention.

(2) The Registrar-General may either on a case by case basis or through the issue of Merchant Shipping Notices -

(a) determine, lay down, prescribe, set or specify what may be required to be determined, laid down, prescribed, set or specified by these rules or by the Safety Convention, or expound on the requirements of these rules or of such Convention or clarify their applicability or interpretation; and

(b) extend any of the provisions of the Safety Convention to other classes of Maltese ships or, to other classes of ships when they are in Maltese waters; and in so doing, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Registrar-General shall be guided by the circulars, clarifications, codes, decisions, directives, guidelines, instruments, interpretations, manuals, notices, publications, recommendations, regulations, resolutions, rules or any other similar medium of the International Maritime Organisation or any other body or organisation with an appropriate knowledge or competence on the subject matter.

(3) The appropriate authority for the purposes of issuing certificates in terms of the Safety Convention shall be the Registrar-General or an organisation or body authorised in terms of article 367 of the Act or an official surveyor of ships appointed in terms of that article, duly authorised by the Registrar-General who shall, subject to the provisions of these rules and such Convention, determine the conditions of issue and validity of such certificates.