Section 37: Provisional certificate for ship which in a foreign country becomes Nigerian owned

(1)
If, at a port in a foreign country, a ship becomes the property of persons qualified to own a registered Nigerian ship and one or more of those persons or the master of the ship authorised to do so by him or them declare to the appropriate officer at the port an intent to apply to have the ship registered in Nigeria, the appropriate officer may grant to the master of the ship, on application by him, a provisional certificate, in a form approved by the Minister, stating the:
(a) name of the ship;
(b)
time and place of the purchase of the ship and the names and addresses of the purchasers;
(c) name of the master; and
(d)
best particulars respecting the tonnage, build and description of the ship which he is able to obtain, and shall immediately forward a copy of the certificate to the Minister.
(2)
A provisional certificate granted in accordance with subsection (1) of this section, shall be deemed to be a certificate of registration until the expiry of six months from the date on which it was granted, or until the arrival of the ship at a port in Nigeria, whichever is the earlier date and shall after the arrival of the ship in Nigeria have no effect.
(3)
The master of a ship in respect of which a provisional certificate is granted under this section shall, within ten days of the ship's first arrival at a port in Nigeria, deliver the certificate to the Registrar at the port or if there is no Registrar at the port, to the Registrar at the ship's intended port of registry.
(4)
Any master who fails to comply with subsection (3) of this section commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine not less than one hundred thousand Naira.