{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-accident-reporting-and-investigation-regulations-2026/regulation-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-accident-reporting-and-investigation-regulations-2026/regulation-15.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2026/430",
  "legislation_title": "The Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2026",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-accident-reporting-and-investigation-regulations-2026",
  "path": "regulation/15",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "Disclosure of information etc.",
  "text": "(1) The names, addresses or other details of anyone who has given evidence to an inspector must not be disclosed, except where that information—\n(a) forms part of a disclosure made in accordance with paragraph (2), or\n(b) is disclosed under paragraph (5) or (7).\n(2) Subject to paragraphs (5), (6) and (7) and regulation 16, the following documents or records or the information they contain, whether held electronically, mechanically or otherwise, must not be made available for purposes other than a safety investigation, unless a Court orders otherwise—\n(a) declarations or statements taken from persons by an inspector or supplied to an inspector in the course of an investigation, together with any notes or recordings of witness interviews, except under regulation 17(4),\n(b) medical or confidential information regarding persons involved in an accident,\n(c) a notification made or report provided under regulation 6,\n(d) a draft of the Chief Inspector’s report of a safety investigation, except under regulation 17(3)(a), (7) or (8),\n(e) correspondence between an inspector and parties involved in a safety investigation,\n(f) evidence from voyage data recorders,\n(g) evidence from other recording systems not falling within sub-paragraph (f), including voice recordings (other than any recordings mentioned in sub-paragraph(a)), or any transcripts made from such information or recordings, except under regulation 20(3) or 21,\n(h) the notes or other records made by an inspector, in whatever form they are held, including any recordings, photographs or images, and any material produced by an inspector in the course of a safety investigation, such as drafts or opinions expressed in the analysis of information, except under regulation 20(3) or 21,\n(i) any independent technical analysis commissioned by the Chief Inspector and any opinions expressed in that analysis, and\n(j) communications between persons having been involved in the operation of the ship or ships.\n(3) An order must not be made under paragraph (2) unless the Court is satisfied—\n(a) that, in the case of any information, document or record that is a marine safety record, the State that supplied it has consented to its disclosure, and\n(b) having regard to the views of the Chief Inspector, that the public interest in the administration of justice outweighs any prejudice, or likely prejudice, to—\n(i) the safety investigation into the accident to which the document or record relates,\n(ii) any future accident safety investigation carried out in the United Kingdom, or\n(iii) relations between the United Kingdom and any other State, or international organisation.\n(4) In paragraph (3), “marine safety record” has the meaning given by Chapter 2 of the IMO Code.\n(5) The Chief Inspector may publish any independent technical analysis commissioned by the Chief Inspector and any opinions expressed in that analysis, if the Chief Inspector considers it appropriate.\n(6) The Chief Inspector may disclose or publish information otherwise protected under this regulation where the information is in anonymised or statistical form.\n(7) The Chief Inspector may provide information obtained from a voyage data recorder to the ship’s owner.\n(8) The provisions of this regulation are without prejudice to any rule of law which authorises or requires the withholding of any information, document or record or part thereof on the ground that disclosure of it would be injurious to the public interest.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/430/regulation/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T21:02:30.543392+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}