   CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA (REGULATION)   [ CAP. 283.       1
CHAPTER 283 
CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA 
(REGULATION) ACT
To regulate the carriage of goods by sea to and from Malta. 
(29th January, 1980) *
Enacted by ACT II of 1980, as amended by Acts: XIII of 1983 and XVII
of 1991.
Short title.
(Regulation) Act.
Interpretation.
 "goods" includes goods of any description;
"Minister" means the Minister responsible for ports and, to the
extent of the authority given, includes any person authorised by the
said Minister in that behalf;
"port" means any place where goods are loaded or unloaded on or
from a ship;
"shipping line" includes a liner conference.
Regulation of 
carriage of goods 
to and from Malta.
3. (1) Where in respect of the carriage of goods by sea to or
from Malta from or to a port in any other country the Minister has,
by order in the Gazette, provided that no such carriage of goods as
aforesaid shall take place except with his permission, no goods
carried or intended to be carried by sea to or from Malta from or to
a port in any country to which an order as aforesaid applies shall be
loaded or unloaded in Malta unless such loading or unloading is
permitted by the Minister and except in accordance with the
Minister’s permission and any conditions or other provisions
contained therein.
(2) Where in respect of the carriage of goods by sea to or from
Malta from or to a port in any other country there is in force an
agreement for the sharing of such cargo between shipping lines,
and such agreement has been approved by the Minister for the
purposes of this Act, such approval, and any conditions or other
provisions thereof shall have the effect of a permission granted
under subsection (1) of this section and, subject to any conditions
or other provisions of the Minister’s approval, the provisions of the
agreement shall have the same effect as if they were provisions of
the Minister’s permission.
(3) The Minister’s permission or approval under either of the
foregoing subsections of this section may be given by such means
and in such manner or form as the Minister may deem appropriate,
and may be general, specific or applicable to a class or classes of
cases.
* See  Government Notice No. 106 of 29th January, 1980.
  2      CAP. 283. ]         CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA (REGULATION)
Publicity to be 
given to Minister’s 
permission or 
approval.
4. Where the Minister has given a permission under
subsection (1) of section 3 of this Act or has approved an
agreement under subsection (2) of that section, he shall, by notice
in the Gazette, or in the order or regulation containing that
permission or approval or providing therefor, give such information
about the permission or the agreement, including the countries,
ships and shipping lines affected thereby, as may be appropriate in
the circumstances.
Declaration by 
Minister to be 
conclusive 
evidence.
5. A declaration under the hand of the Minister stating that
goods may or may not be loaded or unloaded in Malta on or from a
specified ship, or a ship of a specified shipping line, shall be
conclusive evidence of its contents.
Power of Malta 
Maritime 
Authority. 
Amended by: XVII. 
1991.81.
6. The Malta Maritime Authority shall have power to refuse
entry into or departure from any port in Malta if it has reasonable
ground to believe that a provision of this Act has been or is likely
to be contravened in respect of that ship or its cargo.
Regulations. 7. The Minister may make regulations for carrying into effect
the provisions of this Act and, without prejudice to the generality
of the foregoing, for - 
( a ) exempting any goods from any of the provisions of
this Act;
( b ) providing for any matter incidental or supplementary
to the provisions of this Act.
Offences and 
penalties. 
Amended by:
XIII. 1983.5.
8. A person who contravenes any of the provisions of section
3 of this Act or of any order or regulation made under this Act shall
be guilty of an offence and shall for each offence be liable on
conviction to a fine ( multa ) of not less than fifty liri and not
exceeding five thousand liri; and any goods loaded or unloaded in
contravention of any of those provisions shall be forfeited to the
Government.
