Cap. 234 ст. 84NClosure of bareboat charter registration. 

(1) The Minister may order that the registration of a ship under this Part of this Act shall be closed if it is in the national interest or in the interest of Maltese shipping.

(2) The Registrar-General may direct that the registration of a ship under this Part of this Act shall be closed for any reason specified in article 29(2), in as far as the same may be applicable to a ship registered under this Part of this Act.

(3) Prior to the issue of any such order or directive the registrar shall give one month’s notice in writing to the charterer of the intention of closure of registry unless the cause of such closure is remedied. The registrar shall specify in the notice the reason for closure and the expiry date for compliance failing which closure will be effected.

(4) Upon the issue of any notice in terms of sub-article (3) the registrar shall make a note thereof in the register and shall record the date on which the one month period shall lapse.

(5) Upon the lapse of the said one month from the giving of notice and upon receipt of the order from the Minister or the directive from the Registrar-General, as the case may be, the registrar shall make an entry thereof in the register and thereupon the ship shall cease to be a Maltese ship and the registry of the ship shall be considered as closed.

(6) Where the charterer of a ship, registered under this Part of this Act, desires to close the bareboat charter registration of such ship, he shall make an application to that effect to the registrar giving all such particulars and information as the registrar may require for the purpose, and the registrar may refuse such application if all liabilities and obligations in respect of the ship towards the Authority, the Government of Malta and any body corporate established by law, whether for fees, charges, fines or otherwise have been paid.

(7) The registrar shall close the registration of a ship under this Part of this Act, and shall make an entry to that effect in the register, if -

(a) the Minister has ordered such closure in terms of sub-article (1);

(b) the Registrar-General has directed such closure in terms of sub-article (2);

(c) a voluntary closure of registry has been requested and such request has been acceded to by the registrar in terms of sub-article (6);

(d) the appropriate authorities of the underlying registry, or the owners, or any of the mortgagees, if any, have withdrawn their consent to the bareboat charter registration in Malta;

(e) the registration in the underlying registry has for any reason been terminated;

(f) the charter lapses or is terminated by any of the parties to it; or

(g) the period for which the ship has been bareboat charter registered lapses and no extension has been granted in accordance with article 84H.

(8) Upon the closure of a registration in terms of sub-article

(7) the ship shall cease to be a Maltese ship and the registrar shall immediately notify the appropriate authorities of the underlying registry, the owners, the bareboat charterers and the mortgagees, if any, of such closure.

(9) The registrar may refuse to issue a deletion certificate or a transcript of registry showing the closure of registry until -

(a) any certificate of bareboat charter registry, whether provisional or otherwise, issued in terms of article 84F has been surrendered to him; and

(b) all liabilities and obligations in respect of the ship towards the Authority, the Government of Malta and any body corporate established by law, whether for fees, charges, fines or otherwise have been paid.