Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations, 2023.

These Regulations, comprising 40 sections, give effect to Chapter V of the Safety Convention and apply to (i) Tanzanian ships engaged on international voyages wherever they may be; (ii) non-Tanzanian ships while within Tanzanian waters; (iii) non-Tanzanian ships flying the flag of a State that is not a party to the Safety Convention when present in Tanzanian waters solely due to unavoidable circumstances such as stress of weather, provided that persons carried as a result of such circumstances or pursuant to the master's legal obligation to rescue shipwrecked or other persons shall not be counted for determining the application of these Regulations, which do not apply to warships, naval auxiliaries, or vessels owned or operated by the Government on non-commercial service.
The Regulations primarily address safety of navigation requirements and establish provisions for, among other matters (i) the establishment and maintenance of maritime search and rescue services and cooperation between ships and rescue authorities, including procedures for communicating navigational dangers, responding to distress situations, and rendering assistance to persons in distress at sea; (ii) compliance with mandatory ship routing and reporting systems adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO); (iii) the use of a designated working language on board; (iv) standards for bridge design, navigation bridge visibility, navigational systems, electromagnetic compatibility, and safe pilot transfer arrangements, all aimed at reducing human error; (v) approval, testing, maintenance, and performance standards for navigational equipment and voyage data recorders; (vi) requirements for essential navigational equipment and updated nautical information, including electronic navigation systems, automatic identification systems (AIS), long-range identification and tracking (LRIT), voyage data recorders (VDR), nautical charts, navigational publications, the International Code of Signals, and the IAMSAR Manual; (vii) requirements relating to steering systems, steering gear testing, and the use of automatic heading and track control systems; (viii) requirements for maintaining records of navigational activities and submitting daily voyage reports; and (ix) obligations on masters to prepare voyage plans, ensure safe navigation, and exercise independent professional judgment in matters affecting safety and environmental protection.
Other provisions address (i) offences and penalties for non-compliance with the Regulations, including fines and/or imprisonment imposed on shipowners, masters, or other persons depending on the specific provisions breached; (ii) the detention of ships failing to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements; (iii) periodic evaluation by the Registrar, including submission of a report to the Minister every five years on the effectiveness, continued relevance, and possible simplification of the regulatory framework.