Section 30: Issue and custody of certificate of registration

(1)
The Registrar shall on completion of the registration of a ship, issue a certificate of registration in such form as may be approved by the Agency.
(2)
The certificate of registration of a ship, whether or not the ship is a Nigerian ship, shall be used only for the lawful navigation of the ship, and shall not be subject to detention by reason of any title, lien, charge or interest which the owner or mortgagee or any other person has or claims to have on or in the ship.
(3)
A person who has in his possession or under his control, the certificate of registration of a ship shall not refuse or omit, without reasonable cause, to deliver the certificate on demand to the person entitled to the custody of the certificate for the purposes of the lawful navigation of the ship, or to any Registrar, ship surveyor, collector of customs or other person entitled by law to require its delivery.
(4)
Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (3) commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine not less than twenty thousand Naira.
(5)
If, in any proceedings in respect of an offence under this section, the court is of the opinion that the certificate of registration is lost, the court shall certify the loss and cause a copy of the certification to be transmitted to the Agency.