# The Merchant Shipping (Nuclear Ships) Regulations 2022, Regulation 2: Interpretation

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) In these Regulations—
“Certifying Authority” has the meaning given to it in regulation 4 of the Merchant Shipping (Survey and Certification) Regulations 2015 (certifying authorities);
“Chapter I” means Chapter I in the Annex to the Convention (general provisions);
“Chapter VIII” means Chapter VIII in the Annex to the Convention (nuclear ships);
“construction” means, in the context of a nuclear ship, the point at which the keel is laid or which is at a similar stage of construction, and “similar stage of construction” means the stage at which—
(a)construction identifiable with a specific ship begins; and
(b)assembly of that ship has commenced comprising at least 50 tons or 1% of the estimated mass of all structural material, whichever is less,
and “constructed” is to be construed accordingly;
“Convention” means the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974;
“Convention country” means a country or territory which is either a country the Government of which is party to the Convention or a territory to which the Convention extends whether or not it is subject to the amendments to, or reservations in respect of, the Convention;
“flag administration” means the administration of the State whose flag a ship is entitled to fly;
“initial survey” means the survey of that description in Merchant Shipping Notice 1751 (M+F) (Amendment 1);
“Merchant Shipping Notice” means a notice described as such and issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (an executive agency of the Department for Transport) and includes a reference to any document amending or replacing that notice which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time and is specified in a Merchant Shipping Notice;
“Nuclear Code” means the Code of Safety for Nuclear Merchant Ships, as adopted by International Maritime Organization Resolution A.491(XII) on 19th November 1981;
“nuclear ship” means any ship to which the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 applies, the normal mode of propulsion of which is based upon nuclear energy and whose characteristics are those of conventional displacement ships;
“Nuclear Ship Safety Certificate” means either a “Nuclear Passenger Ship Safety Certificate” or a “Nuclear Cargo Ship Safety Certificate” issued in accordance with regulation 10 of Chapter VIII;
“nuclear steam supply system” means that part of a reactor installation intended for steam generation;
“prescribed fee” means the fee prescribed by the Secretary of State under section 302 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (fees);
“reactor installation” means a nuclear reactor, which comprises any plant, including any machinery, equipment or appliance, whether affixed to land or not, designed or adapted for the production of atomic energy by a fission process in which a controlled chain reaction can be maintained without an additional source of neutrons;
“renewal survey” means the survey of that description in Merchant Shipping Notice 1751 (M+F) (Amendment 1);
“REPPIR regulations” means—
(a)in England and Wales, and Scotland, the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019; and
(b)in Northern Ireland, the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019;
“sea” includes any estuary or arm of the sea but does not include Category A, B, C or D waters and for the purposes of this definition “Category A, B, C or D waters” means the waters specified as such in Merchant Shipping Notice 1837(M) Amendment 2;
“United Kingdom nuclear ship” means a United Kingdom ship within the meaning of section 85(2) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 which is a nuclear ship;
“valid” means in force and “validity” is to be construed accordingly.
(2) Any reference in these Regulations to the Nuclear Code includes any amendment or replacement of that Code which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time and which is specified in a Merchant Shipping Notice.
(3) Any reference in the Nuclear Code to a matter that is expressed as a matter that “should” be discharged, must be read as an obligation to discharge.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/1169/regulation/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-nuclear-ships-regulations-2022/regulation-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.