Section 55National character of ships to be declared before clearance

s. 55

55. National character of ships to be declared before clearance (1) A Collector of Customs shall not grant a port clearance for any ship until the master of the ship has declared to him the name of the country to which the master claims that the ship belongs, and the Collector of Customs shall upon such declaration inscribe the name on the port clearance. (2) If a ship attempts to proceed to sea without port-clearance, she may be detained until the declaration required by sub section (1) is made.