Court to have the same powers as a Court having admiralty jurisdiction in England in certain cases 

 

Where in any proceedings instituted under this Act, any matter or question of procedure arises in respect of which no provision or adequate provision has been made by or under this Act or any other enactment or any rule, the Court shall have power to make such orders and to give such directions which the Court exercising admiralty jurisdiction in England would have the power to make and give in like circumstances in so far as such orders and directions shall not conflict or be inconsistent with any provisions made by or under this Act or any other enactment or any rule. 

Construction of certain expressions in the Merchant Shipping Act, No. 52 of 1971 

Every reference in any such provision of the Merchant Shipping Act, No. 52 of 1971 as is specified in Column I of the Schedule to this Act to any such word or expression as is referred to in the corresponding entry in Column II of that Schedule shall be read and construed as a reference to "a Judge of the High Court of the Republic of Sri Lanka exercising admiralty jurisdiction". 

Interpretation 
 

In this Act unless the context otherwise requires "collision regulations " means the regulations under section 186 of the Merchant Shipping Act, No. 52 of 1971 ; " the Court" means the High Court of the Republic of Sri Lanka ; " goods " includes baggage ; " master " used with reference to a ship shall mean any person (except a pilot) having for the time being control or charge of a ship ; " ship " includes any description of vessel used in navigation ; " the Rhine Navigation Convention " means the Convention of the Seventh of October, Eighteen hundred and sixty-eight revised by any subsequent convention.