{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-act-1995/section-266",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-act-1995/section-266.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1995/21",
  "legislation_title": "Merchant Shipping Act 1995",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-act-1995",
  "path": "section/266",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "266",
  "heading": "Offences.",
  "text": "(1) Any person who contravenes any requirement imposed by an improvement notice shall be liable—\n(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;\n(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine.\n(2) Any person who contravenes any prohibition imposed by a prohibition notice shall be liable—\n(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;\n(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine or both.\n(3) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he exercised all due diligence to avoid a contravention of the requirement or prohibition in question.\n(4) In this section any reference to an improvement notice or a prohibition notice includes a reference to any such notice as modified under section 264(3).",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 266 modified (16.2.2001) by S.I. 2001/152, reg. 11(2)Ss. 264-266 applied (with modifications) (16.2.2001) by S.I. 2001/152, reg. 9(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with application in accordance with reg. 4 of the amending S.I.) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Noise at Work) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3075), regs. 1, 19"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C3",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with application in accordance with reg. 4 of the amending S.I.) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3077), regs. 1, 18"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C4",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (1.3.2008) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Carcinogens and Mutagens) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3100), regs. 1, 22"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C5",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (1.12.2009) by The Merchant Shipping (Anti-Fouling Systems) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/2796), regs. 1, 10(5) (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C6",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2010) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Work at Height) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/332), regs. 1, 22 (with regs. 4, 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C7",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2010) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Biological Agents) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/323), regs. 1, 27 (with regs. 4, 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C8",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2010) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Chemical Agents) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/330), regs. 1, 20 (with regs. 4, 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C9",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (6.4.2010) by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Medical Certification) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/737), regs. 1(1), 19 (with reg. 5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C10",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (10.1.2011) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Artificial Optical Radiation) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2987), regs. 1, 16"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C11",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (10.1.2011) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Asbestos) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2984), regs. 1, 26"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C12",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (15.8.2013) by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Survey and Certification) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1785), regs. 1, 16(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C13",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (17.3.2014) by S.I. 2002/2125, reg. 14(6) (as substituted by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/308), regs. 1(2), 2(14))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C14",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (7.8.2014) by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Minimum Requirements for Seafarers etc.) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/1613), regs. 1(2), 54(5)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C15",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (13.10.2014) by S.I. 1997/2962, reg. 27A(5) (as inserted by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Health and Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/1616), regs. 1(2), 2(18))"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C16",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with modifications) (21.11.2016) by The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Health and Safety at Work) (Electromagnetic Fields) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1026), regs. 1, 15 (with reg. 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C17",
      "text": "Ss. 258-266 applied (with modifications) (5.12.2016) by The Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1025), regs. 1, 28"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C18",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (6.4.2018) by The Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention) (Hours of Work) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/58), regs. 1, 19(6)(7), 20(6)(7) (with regs. 3, 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C19",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (31.12.2018) by The Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1106), regs. 1(2), 28(5) (with reg. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C20",
      "text": "Ss. 261-266 applied (with modifications) (30.11.2019) by The Merchant Shipping (Work in Fishing Convention) (Survey and Certification) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1107), regs. 1(2), 10(5) (with reg. 3)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/266",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:33:07.847944+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."
}