Section 410: Power to apply Act to ships of other countries, and to exempt such ships

(1)
Where the Minister is satisfied that the laws of any foreign country which apply with respect to ships registered in or belonging to the country while the ships are at any port in Nigeria are substantially the same or equally as effective as any of the provisions of this Act or any regulations made under this Act, the Minister may by order direct that all or any of the provisions of this Act or regulations made under it shall not apply with respect to ships registered in or belonging to that country while the ships are at any port in Nigeria, if it is proved that those ships comply with the corresponding provisions of the laws of the country in which the ships are registered or to which the ships belong.
(2)
The Minister shall not make an order under subsection (1) of this section unless the Minister is satisfied that the government of the other country has provided or undertaken to provide for the exemption of Nigerian ships while the Nigerian ships are at any port in that country, from the corresponding provisions of the law of that country.
(3)
Where the Minister is satisfied that the government of a foreign country desires that any or the provisions of this Act or any regulations made thereunder which do not apply to ships registered in or belonging to the country, or to any class or dcscription of those ships, should so apply, whether generally or in specified circumstances, and no special provision for the application is made elsewhere in this Act, the Minister may by order declare that the provisions shall, subject to any limitation prescribed in the order, apply to ships registered in or belonging to that
country or, as the case may be, to any class or description of the ships and to the owners, masters and crews and other persons in the service of the ships when not locally in the jurisdiction of the foreign country, in the same manner as if those ships were Nigerian ships.
(4)
Any order made under subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall, subject to any limitation stated in the order, have effect according to the period of validity of the order.