In this Act, unless the context indicates otherwise—

“Authority”

means the South African Maritime Safety Authority established by section 2 of the South African Maritime Safety Authority Act 5 of 1998;

[Definition of “Authority” inserted by section 2(2) of Act 5 of 1998]

“Convention”

means the International Convention on Salvage, 1989, contained in the Schedule;

“master”

in relation to a ship, means any person, other than a pilot, having charge or command of such ship;

“Minister”

means the Minister of Transport;

“owner of a ship”

means any person to whom a ship or a share in a ship belongs;

“port”

means a place, whether proclaimed a public harbour or not, and whether natural or artificial, to which ships may resort for shelter or to load or discharge goods or persons;

“prescribe”

means prescribe by regulation under section 21;

“Republic”

includes the Prince Edward Islands referred to in section 1 of the Prince Edward Islands Act 43 of 1948;

“salvage officer”

means a salvage officer appointed in terms of section 8;

“seaman”

means any person, except a master or a pilot, employed or engaged in any capacity on a ship;

“ship”

means any vessel used or capable of being used on any waters, and includes any hovercraft, power boat, yacht, fishing boat, submarine vessel, barge, crane barge, crane, dock, oil or other rig, mooring installation or similar installation, whether floating or fixed to the sea-bed and whether self-propelled or not;

“South African ship”

means a ship registered in the Republic in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act 57 of 1951, or deemed to be so registered;

“wreck”

includes any flotsam, jetsam, lagan or derelict, any portion of a ship or aircraft lost, abandoned, stranded or in distress, any portion of the cargo, stores or equipment of any such ship or aircraft and any portion of the personal property on board such ship or aircraft when it was lost, abandoned, stranded or in distress.