Section 406Part 15 — MARITIME SECURITY
Definitions in this Part relating to piracy and armed robbery
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In this Part, subject to section 67 of the Penal Code (2024 Revision) —
"armed robbery against a ship" means any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation, or threat thereof, other than an act of piracy, committed for private ends and directed against a Cayman Islands ship or against persons or property on board such a ship, when not on the high seas or any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described above;
"piracy" means —
any illegal act of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or private aircraft, and directed —
on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; or
against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State; or
any voluntary act of participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft; or
any act of inciting or intentionally facilitating an act described in paragraph (a) or (b);
"pirate ship or aircraft" means a ship or aircraft under the dominant control of persons who —
intend to use such ship or aircraft for piracy; or
have used such ship or aircraft for piracy, so long as it remains under the control of those persons; and
"private ship" or "private aircraft" means a ship or aircraft that is not owned by the Government or held by a person on behalf of, or for the benefit of, the Government.
Piracy committed by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied and taken control of the ship or aircraft is assimilated to piracy committed by a private ship or aircraft.
This section applies to aircraft only when they are in the high seas, that is to say, in those parts of the sea, to which Part VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 is applicable in accordance with Article 86 of that Convention.
A person who commits piracy or armed robbery against a ship commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life.
Defined Terms
armed robbery against a shippiracypirate ship or aircraftprivate shipprivate aircraft
Cross References
- Section 67 of Penal Codeexternal
Reference to section 67 of the Penal Code (2024 Revision)
- Section of External
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, Part VII, Article 86