Piracy Act

Piracy Act is a stock short title used for legislation in the United Kingdom relating to piracy.

The Bill for an Act with this short title may have been known as a Piracy Bill during its passage through Parliament.

List

See also

List of short titles

Piracy Act 1721

The Piracy Act 1721 (c.24) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain.

The long title and preamble of the Act were:

Parts of the Act were superseded by the Piracy Act 1837.

All remaining parts of the Act were repealed on 11 May 1993 by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1993.

External links

Piracy Act 1837

The Piracy Act 1837 (7 Will 4 & 1 Vict c 88) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It abolished the death penalty for most offences of piracy, but created a new offence often known as piracy with violence, which was punishable with death. This offence still exists in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland, but is no longer punishable by death in either country.

Section 2 of the Act creates the offence of piracy with violence:

United Kingdom

The offences of piracy which existed in 1837 have since been abolished. The "crime of piracy" mentioned in section 2 is now defined by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (in section 26 and Schedule 5), which simply sets out articles 101 to 103 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982):

Definition of piracy

Piracy consists of any of the following acts:

Piracy by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied

The acts of piracy, as defined in article 101, committed by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied and taken control of the ship or aircraft are assimilated to acts committed by a private ship or aircraft.