Section 376:
Powers of Marine Board.
(1) A Marine Board may, after investigating and hearing the
case--
(a) if it is of opinion that the safety of an Indian ship or her cargo or crew or the interest of the
owner of an Indian ship or of the owner of the cargo thereof requires it, remove the master and
appoint another qualified person to act in his stead;
(b) if it is of opinion that any master or officer of an Indian ship is incompetent or has been
guilty of any act of misconduct or in a case of collision has failed to render such assistance or give
such information as is required by section 348 or that loss, abandonment or stranding of or serious
damage to any ship, or loss of life or serious injury to any person has been caused by the wrongful
act or default of any master or ships officer of an Indian ship, suspend the certificate of that
master or ship's officer for a stated period:
Provided that no such certificate shall be suspended unless the master or officer concerned has
been furnished with a statement of the case in respect of which investigation has been ordered and
he has also been given an opportunity of making a defence either in person or otherwise;
(c) discharge a seaman from an Indian ship and order the wages of any seaman so discharged
or any part of those wages to be forfeited;
(d) decide any questions as to wages, fines or forfeitures arising between any of the parties to
the proceedings;
(e) direct that any or all of the costs incurred by the master or owner of an Indian ship or on
the maintenance of a seaman or apprentice while in prison outside India shall be paid out of, and
deducted from, the wages of that seaman or apprentice, whether earned or subsequently earned;
(f) if it considers such a step expedient, order a survey to be made of any Indian ship which is
the subject of investigation;
(g) order the costs of proceedings before it or any part of those costs, to be paid by any of the
parties thereto, and may order any person making a frivolous or unjustified complaint to pay
compensation for any loss or delay caused thereby; and any costs or compensation so ordered to
be paid by any person shall be paid by that person accordingly and may be recovered in the same
manner in which wages of seaman are recoverable or may be deducted from the wages due to that
person.
(2) All orders made by a Marine Board shall, whenever practicable, be entered in the official log
book of the ship which is the subject of investigation or on board which the casualty or occurrence or
conduct investigated took place, and be signed by the presiding officer of the Board.