Inland Vessels Act, 1917
No: 1 Dated: Feb, 07 1917
THE INLAND VESSELS ACT, 1917
ACT NO. 1 OF 1917
An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to Inland Vessels.
WHEREAS it is expedient to consolidate the enactments relating to inland vessels;
It is hereby enacted as follows:—
CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY
1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the Inland Vessels Act, 1917.
(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir:
2.Definitions. (1) In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-
(a) "inland vessel" or "inland mechanically propelled vessel" means a mechanically propelled vessel, which ordinarily plies on inland water, but does not include fishing vessel and a ship registered under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958;
(b) "inland water" means-
(i) any canal, river, lake or other navigable water within a State,
(ii) any area of any tidal water deemed to be the inland water as defined by the Central Government under section 70,
(iii) waters declared by the Central Government to be smooth and partially smooth waters under clause (41) of section 3 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958;
(c) "mechanically propelled vessel" means every description of vessel propelled wholly or in part by electricity, steam or other mechanical power including dumb vessel towed by the mechanically propelled vessel and vessel propelled by outboard motor
(d) "passenger" includes any person carried in a mechanically propelled vessel other than the master and crew and the owner, his family and servants;
(e) "prescribed" means prescribed by any rule under this Act; * * * *
(f) "survey" means the survey of a mechanically propelled vessel under this Act;
(g) "surveyor" means a surveyor appointed under this Act; and
(ga) "tidal water" has the meaning assigned to it in clause (49) of section 3 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958
(h) "voyage" includes the plying of a mechanically propelled vessel at or about any place.
(2) Any reference to the Inland Steam-vessels Act, 1917 (1 of 1917), in any law for the time being in force or in any instrument or other document shall be construed as a reference to the Inland Vessels Act, 1917.
CHAPTER II
Survey Of Inland Mechanically Propelled Vessels
3. Inland mechanically propelled vessel not to proceed on voyage or to be used for service without certificate of survey. (1) An inland mechanically propelled vesselshall not proceed on any voyage, or be used for any service unless she has a certificate of survey in force in the zone intended for operation and applicable to such voyage or service in such zone.
(2) Nothing in this section shall apply to any mechanically propelled vessel proceeding on a voyage during the interval between the time at which her certificate of survey expires and the time at which it is first practicable to have the certificate renewed.
Explanation. - For the purposes of this sub-section, "zone" means any such inland water area as the State Government may, depending on the maximum significant wave height criteria, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify for the purposes of this Act