Article 386 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 386 من النظام البحري التجاري · الباب العاشر: العقوبات
The article punishes the master, owner or operator of a regular passenger ship that carries more passengers than its certificates allow with a fine equal to twice the ticket price of the extra passengers for each voyage, except in necessity or on the Authority's instructions.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاقب كل ربان أو مالك أو مجهز لسفينة ركاب تنقلهم من المملكة أو إليها بصفة منتظمة تحمل أعداداً منهم تزيد على الأعداد المبينة في الشهادات التي تحملها السفينة بغرامة تعادل ضعف ثمن تذاكر السفر المصروفة للأعداد الزائدة لكل رحلة, إلاَّ في حالة الضرورة، أو الامتثال لتعليمات صريحة من الهيئة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 386 explained in plain English
This article protects passenger safety by punishing loading a ship beyond its permitted capacity:
The persons addressed: every master, owner or operator of a passenger ship.
Scope of ships: ships that carry passengers from or to the Kingdom on a regular basis.
The act: carrying numbers of passengers exceeding the numbers shown in the certificates that the ship holds.
The penalty: a fine equal to twice the price of the travel tickets issued for the excess numbers, for each voyage. The fine here is not a fixed amount but is calculated according to the number of excess passengers and the price of their tickets.
Exceptions: the penalty does not apply in two cases:
- Necessity.
- Compliance with express instructions from the Authority, which according to Article 1 is the Transport General Authority.
The article does not specify what forms necessity may take. Article 385 punishes a licensee who breaches his license obligations, and Article 387 sets a general penalty for any violation for which no penalty is provided in the penalties chapter. Anyone facing a violation of this kind should consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal and maritime cases.
Practical example
A ferry regularly carries passengers between the port of Duba and a foreign port, and its certificates permit 500 passengers. On one voyage it carried 520 passengers, each with a ticket price of SAR 300, with no necessity or instructions from the Authority. The fine is twice the ticket price of the 20 excess passengers, that is SAR 12,000 for that voyage.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 386 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
What is the penalty for loading a passenger ship above the permitted number?
A fine equal to twice the price of the travel tickets issued for the excess numbers, for each voyage, imposed on the master, owner or operator.
Are there cases in which the penalty does not apply?
Yes: in case of necessity or compliance with express instructions from the Authority.
Which ships does this penalty apply to?
Passenger ships that carry passengers from or to the Kingdom on a regular basis.
More articles on Penalties Under the Commercial Maritime Law
- Article 373
The article punishes with a fine of SAR 100,000 to 1,000,000 anyone who flies the Kingdom's flag on an unregistered ship, with possible confiscation, or hides or defaces the ship's particulars, except to avoid capture.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن مائة ألف ريال, ولا تزيد على مليون ريال: 1- كل مالك أو مجهز أو ربان يرفع علم المملكة على سفينة غير مسجلة فيها، مع جواز الحكم بمصادرة السفي
- Article 374
The article punishes the operator of a marine platform with a fine of SAR 100,000 to 500,000 if he operates it without the safety requirements needed to protect persons and the environment.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن مائة ألف ريال, ولا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال, مجهز المنصة البحرية في حالة تشغيلها دون توافر متطلبات السلامة اللازمة لحماية الأشخاص والبيئ
- Article 375
The article punishes with a fine of SAR 100,000 to 500,000 moving stranded ships or wreckage into territorial waters to evade the Law, preventing or obstructing the rescue of stranded ships, and hiding wreckage or its markers.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن مائة ألف ريال, ولا تزيد على خمسمائة ألف ريال: 1- كل من نقل إلى المياه الإقليمية للمملكة أي سفينة جانحة أو متروكة أو جزء من شحنتها أو ملحق
- Article 376
The article punishes with a fine of SAR 10,000 to 100,000 a master who does not respond to a distress call without an acceptable justification, and the operator if the violation is on his express instructions.
1- يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن عشرة آلاف ريال، ولا تزيد على مائة ألف ريال, كل ربان لم يستجب لطلب الاستغاثة لإنقاذ سفينة تشرف على الغرق أو لإنقاذ شخص يعثر عليه في الب
- Article 377
The article punishes with a fine of SAR 10,000 to 100,000 the master or operator of a Saudi ship who sails it without a valid certificate, or sails a ship that has been ordered suspended or barred from sailing.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن عشرة آلاف ريال, ولا تزيد على مائة ألف ريال, كل ربان أو مجهز لسفينة ترفع علم المملكة يسيِّرها دون أن تحمل شهادة سارية من الشهادات المشار إ
- Article 378
The article punishes with a fine of SAR 10,000 to 100,000 anyone who disrupts or obstructs maritime inspection delegates or experts of classification societies authorized by the Authority from carrying out their task.
يعاقب بغرامة لا تقل عن عشرة آلاف ريال, ولا تزيد على مائة ألف ريال, كل من يعطل أو يعوق عمل مندوبي التفتيش البحري أو خبراء هيئات التصنيف المفوضة من الهيئة عن أداء
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.