Chapter I PRELIMINARY

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— (a) “accredited training organisation” means any organisation which is accredited by the Central Government under section 20; (b) “aid to navigation” means a device, system or service, external to vessels, designed and operated to enhance safe and efficient navigation of individual vessels and vessel traffic, but shall not be construed to include a reference to vessel traffic services, unless otherwise specified; (c) “Director General” means the Director General of Aids to Navigation appointed under section 4; (d) “district” means an area demarcated as a district for the purposes of this Act under sub-section (1) of section 4; (e) “general aid to navigation” means any aid to navigation, which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be a general aid to navigation for the purposes of this Act; (f) “heritage lighthouse” means an aid to navigation designated as such under section 23; (g) “local aid to navigation” means any aid to navigation which is not a general aid to navigation; (h) “local authority” means a State Government or other person having superintendence and management over a local aid to navigation; (i) “marine aids to navigation dues” means the dues levied under section 24; (j) “notification” means a notification published in the Official Gazette of India and the expression “notify” with its grammatical variation and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly; (k) “owner” means the owner of a vessel including its registered owner, a person to whom a share in the vessel belongs, bareboat charterer, manager and operator of the vessel; (l) “port” means any port as defined in the Indian Ports Act, 1908 (15 of 1908); (m) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (n) “proper officer” in relation to any functions to be performed under this Act, means the officer of customs who is assigned those functions by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs constituted under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963 (54 of 1963), and includes any person appointed by the Central Government to discharge the functions of a proper officer under this Act; (o) “rule” means rules made by the Central Government under this Act; (p) “ship” includes a sailing vessel; (q) “vessel” includes every description of water craft used or capable of being used in the marine environment, such as ship, boat, sailing vessel, fishing vessel, submersible, semi-submersible, hydrofoils, non-displacement crafts, amphibious crafts, wing-in-ground crafts, pleasure crafts, barges, lighters, mobile offshore drilling units or mobile offshore units; (r) “vessel traffic service” means a service implemented under this Act to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment. (2) Words and expressions used but not defined in this Act, and defined in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 (44 of 1958), shall have the same meanings respectively assigned to them in that Act.