Shipping Act (CAP. 296).

This Act lays down rules for: (I) encouraging and regulating the orderly development of merchant shipping in Barbados and to provide for the qualifying of persons employed in service at sea in Barbadian ships; (II) regulating the terms and conditions of service of persons employed in Barbadian ships in conformity with international conventions to which Barbados adheres; (III) providing for the safety of passengers, crews, ships and cargo in conformity with any international conventions to which Barbados adheres; (IV) regulating and providing for the safety of persons engaged in diving activity in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Barbados; (V) regulating the use of small commercial vessels within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Barbados; and (VI) preventing or mitigating the effect of shipping activity on the marine environment in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Barbados. This Act allows Barbadian ships or ships with a certificate of foreign registry to trade in Barbadian waters.
This Act sets out provisions on the registration of ships, including local fishing vessels and foreign-going ships; designation of the Barbados ships' Registry as the central registry office; keeping register books for merchant ships, fishing vessels except for vessels registered under the Fisheries Act, and merchant ships and fishing vessels under construction; ownership of ships and division into shares; survey of ships; marking of ships; procedures of the application for registration; usage of certificate of registry for navigation in Barbadian waters; conditions for the suspension or cancellation of the certificate of registry; transfer and transmission of the ownership; registration of managing owner of a registered ship; measurement of ship and tonnage; the crew of the ships and the content of crew agreement; prohibition of employing young persons; provision of food, water, accomodation and medical services to seamen; safety of ships in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea; carriage of dangerous goods; inspection of foreign ships in national ports; regulations for the licensing of operators of small commercial vessels, watersports craft and passenger ferries, and the prevention of marine pollution; application of international conventions; jurisdiction over Barbadian and foreign-flagged vessels; and offences, such as forgery and false declaration, and penalties. This Act states that a vessel which is registered under the Fisheries Act as a fishing-boat, may be registered by the Director of Maritime Affairs in a register-book for local fishing vessels. Where grain, including wheat, maize, oats, rye, barley, rice, pulses and seeds, is loaded any Barbadian ship on board or any ship in Barbados on board, all necessary and reasonable precautions shall be taken to prevent the grain from shifting.