Section 233: Notice of alterations and additional surveys

(1) The owner or master of a ship in respect of which certificate issued under this part is in force shall, as soon as possible after any alteration is made in the ship's name, ownership, hull, equipment or machinery affecting the efficiency or the seaworthiness of the ship or the terms of the certificate, give notice in writing containing full particulars of the alteration, to the Minister.
(2) The Minister may where he has reason to believe that-
(a) a certificate issued in respect of any ship under this part of this Act was obtained fraudulently or on wrong information; or
(b) since the making of the last declaration of survey, an alteration, as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, has been made to any ship; or
(c) since the making of the last declaration of survey, the hull, equipment or machinery of a ship had sustained any injury or had otherwise become insufficient, immediately cancel any certificate issued in respect of the ship under this part of this Act; or require the owner of the ship to have the hull, equipment and machinery of the ship surveyed again to such extent as the Minister thinks fit ; and, if the requirement is not complied with, may cancel any certificate issued in respect of the ship under this part of this Act.
(3) Whenever the Minister cancels any certificate under subsection (3) of this section, he shall I give notice to the owner, agent or master of the ship of the cancellation and of the reasons for the cancellation.
(4) In any such case, the Minister may if satisfied that the ship complies with the requirements of this part of this Act as to survey, and that the justice of the case so requires, re-issue any cancelled certificate or issue a new certificate in its place, without requiring that the ship be re-surveyed or that a further declaration of survey be transmitted.
(5) For the purposes of this section, "alteration", in relation to anything, includes the renewal of any part of the thing.
(6) The owner or master of a ship who fails to give notice of an alteration under this section commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine not less than fifty thousand Naira.