What is a Ship? ...a legal perspective.
What is a ship? The status of a ship or vessel is important for issues like tax, insurance, damages, personal injuries claim, maritime claim and time limitation. Some dictionary has defined a ship as a large boat used for carrying people or goods across the sea, a large spacecraft or an aircraft. The Merchant Shipping Act of the UK provides that a “ship” includes every description of vessel used in navigation”. In Halsbury's Laws, the meaning of “ship” reads: "Unless the context otherwise requires, 'ship' includes every description of vessel used in navigation. Whether a vessel comes within that meaning of a ship depends on the facts of each case; the statutory definition is intended to enlarge the meaning of “ship”. To be a ship, a vessel must be used in navigable waters, either inland or at sea, and, although she must be constructed for navigation, it is not necessary to the definition that she should be able to navigate under her own power. The presence ...