# The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2026, Regulation 13: Release of evidence to owner


(1) This regulation applies where a ship or any evidence described in regulation 10 (“property”) is held by or on behalf of the Chief Inspector for the purposes of a safety investigation.
(2) Subject to paragraph (5), where the property is no longer required for the purposes of the safety investigation the Chief Inspector must inform the owner of the property, by serving a notice in writing, that it will be released to the owner at the place and date specified in the notice and in accordance with any other arrangements that are specified in the notice.
(3) An owner on whom such a notice is served must collect the property in accordance with the arrangements specified in the notice (or in accordance with any alternative arrangements that the owner agrees in writing with the Chief Inspector), failing which the Chief Inspector may make arrangements for the destruction or disposal of the property.
(4) A notice served under paragraph (2)—
(a) must not specify a date for collection of the property earlier than 30 days after the date on which the notice was served, and
(b) must include a warning that a failure by the owner to collect the property on the date specified in the notice (or such other date that the owner agrees in writing with the Chief Inspector) will entitle the Chief Inspector to make arrangements for the destruction or disposal of the property.
(5) Where any equipment, item, object or substance is no longer required for the purposes of the safety investigation and is released by the Chief Inspector in accordance with regulation 16 to an investigating authority (as defined in regulation 16(3))—
(a) paragraph (2) does not apply to that equipment, item, object or substance, and
(b) the Chief Inspector must inform the owner of the equipment, item, object or substance, by serving a notice in writing, that it has been so released.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/430/regulation/13 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-accident-reporting-and-investigation-regulations-2026/regulation-13
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.