3. Offences against ship, fixed platform, cargo of a ship, maritime navigational facilities,
etc.—(1) Whoever unlawfully and intentionally—
(a) commits an act of violence against a person on board a fixed platform or a ship which is likely
to endanger the safety of the fixed platform or, as the case may be, safe navigation of the ship shall be
punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine;
(b) destroys a fixed platform or a ship or causes damage to a fixed platform or a ship or cargo of
the ship in such manner which is likely to endanger the safety of such platform or safe navigation of
such ship shall be punished with imprisonment for life;
(c) seizes or exercises control over a fixed platform or a ship by force or threatens or in any other
form intimidates shall be punished with imprisonment for life;
(d) places or causes to be placed on a fixed platform or a ship, by any means whatsoever, a device
or substance which is likely to destroy that fixed platform or that ship or cause damage to that fixed
platform or that ship or its cargo which endangers o is likely to endanger that fixed platform or the
safe navigation of that ship shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to
fourteen years;
(e) destroys or damages maritime navigational facilities or interferes with their operation if such
act is likely to endanger the safe navigation of a ship shall be punished with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to fourteen years;
(f) communicates information which he knows to be false thereby endangering the safe
navigation of a ship shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen
years and shall also be liable to fine;
(g) in the course of commission of or in attempt to commit, any of the offences specified in
clauses (a) to (d) in connection with a fixed platform or clauses (a) to (f) in connection with a ship—
(i) causes death to any person shall be punished with death;
(ii) causes grievous hurt to any person shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which
may extend to fourteen years;
(iii) causes injury to any person shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to ten years;
(iv) seizes or threatens a person shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may
extend to ten years; and
4
(v) threatens to endanger a ship or a fixed platform shall be punished with imprisonment for a
term which may extend to two years.
(2) Whoever attempts to commit, or abets the commission of, an offence punishable under
sub-section (1) shall be deemed to have committed such offence and shall be punished with the
punishment provided for such offence.
(3) Whoever unlawfully or intentionally threatens a person to compel that person to do or refrain from
doing any act or to commit any offence specified in clause (a), clause (b) or clause (c) of sub-section (1),
if such threat is likely to endanger the safe navigation of a ship or safety of a fixed platform shall be
punished with the punishment provided for such offence.
(4) Where any act referred to in sub-section (1) is committed,—
(a) against or on board—
(i) an Indian ship at the time of commission of the offence; or
(ii) any ship in the territory of India including its territorial waters;
(b) by a stateless person,
such act shall be deemed to be an offence committed by such person for the purposes of this Act.
Explanation.—In this sub-section, the expression “stateless person” means a person whose habitual
residence is in India but he does not have nationality of any country.
(5) Where an offence under sub-section (1) is committed and the person accused of or suspected of
the commission of such offence is present in the territory of India and is not extradited to any Convention
State or Protocol State, as the case may be, such person shall be dealt with in India in accordance with the
provisions of this Act.
(6) On being satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, the Central Government or any other
authority designated by it shall take the person referred to in sub-section (5) and present in the territory of
India into custody or take measures, in accordance with the law for the time being in force, to ensure his
presence in India for such time as is necessary to enable any criminal or extradition proceeding to be
instituted:
Provided that when a person is taken into custody under this sub-section, it shall be necessary for the
Central Government or any other authority designated by it to notify the Government of any Convention
State or Protocol State which have also established jurisdiction over the offence committed or suspected
to have been committed by the person in custody.
(7) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (8), where an offence under sub-section (1) is committed
outside India, the person committing such offence may be dealt with in respect thereof as if such offence
had been committed at any place within India at which he may be found.
(8) No court shall take cognizance of an offence punishable under this section which is committed
outside India unless—
(a) such offence is committed on a fixed platform or on board a ship flying the Indian flag at the
time the offence is committed;
(b) such offence is committed on board a ship which is for the time being chartered without crew
to a lessee who has his principal place of business, or where he has no such place of business, his
permanent residence, is in India; or
(c) the alleged offender is a citizen of India or is on a fixed platform or on board a ship in relation
to which such offence is committed when it enters the territorial waters of India or is found in India.
4. Conferment of powers of investigation.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code,
for the purpose of this Act, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, confer on
any gazetted officer of the Coast Guard or any other gazetted officer of the Central Government powers
of arrest, investigation and prosecution exercisable by a police officer under the Code.
5
(2) All officers of police and all officers of Government are hereby required and empowered to assist
the officer of the Central Government referred to in sub-section (1), in the execution of provisions of this
Act.
Explanation.—For the purpose of this section, “officer of the Coast Guard” means an officer as
defined in clause (q) of section 2 of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 (30 of 1978).
5. Designated Courts.—(1) For the purpose of providing for speedy trial, the State Government
shall, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, by notification in the Official Gazette,
specify a Court of Session to be a Designated Court for such area or areas as may be specified in the
notification.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code, a Designated Court shall, as far as practicable,
hold the trial on a day-to-day basis.
6. Offence triable by Designated Court.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code,—
(a) all offences under this Act shall be triable only by the Designated Court specified under
sub-section (1) of section 5;
(b) where a person accused of or suspected of the commission of an offence under this Act is
forwarded to a Magistrate under sub-section (2) or sub-section (2A) of section 167 of the Code, such
Magistrate may authorise the detention of such person in such custody as he thinks fit for a period not
exceeding fifteen days in the whole where such Magistrate is a Judicial Magistrate and seven days in
the whole where such Magistrate is an Executive Magistrate:
Provided that where such Magistrate considers,—
(i) when such person is forwarded to him as aforesaid; or
(ii) upon or at any time before the expiry of the period of detention authorised by him,
that the detention of such person is unnecessary, he shall order such person to be forwarded to the
Designated Court having the jurisdiction;
(c) the Designated Court may exercise, in relation to the person forwarded to it under clause (b),
the same power which a Magistrate having jurisdiction to try a case may exercise under section 167
of the Code, in relation to an accused person in such case who has been forwarded to him under that
section;
(d) a Designated Court may, upon a perusal of a complaint made by an officer of the Central
Government or the State Government, as the case may be, authorised in this behalf, take cognizance
of that offence without the accused being committed to it for trial.
(2) When trying an offence under this Act, a Designated Court may also try an offence other than an
offence under this Act, with which the accused may, under the Code, be charged at the same trial.
7. Application of Code to proceedings before a Designated Court.—Save as otherwise provided in
this Act, the provisions of the Code shall apply to the proceedings before a Designated Court and the
person conducting a prosecution before a Designated Court shall be deemed to be a Public Prosecutor.
8. Provision as to bail.—(1) Notwithstanding anything in the Code, no person accused of an offence
punishable under this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless—
(a) the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity to oppose the application for such
release; and
(b) where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the Court is satisfied that there are
reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence and that he is not likely to
commit any offence while on bail.
(2) The limitations on granting of bail specified in sub-section (1) are in addition to the limitations
under the Code or any other law for the time being in force on granting of bail.
(3) Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to affect the special powers of the High Court
regarding bail under section 439 of the Code.