Section 3: Piracy and maritime attack

3. Piracy and maritime attack (1) Any person who commits— (a) an act of piracy; or (b) a maritime attack, shall commit an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to penal servitude for a term not exceeding 60 years. (2) A police officer may— (a) on the high seas or in the territorial sea, or the internal, historic and archipelagic waters of Mauritius; or (b) in any other place outside the jurisdiction of a State, stop, board, search, detain or seize a pirate ship or aircraft, or a ship or aircraft taken by and under the control of pirates, arrest any person suspected of having committed an offence under this Act and seize any property on board which is suspected to have been used in connection with the commission of an offence under this Act, and may use such force as may be necessary for that purpose. (3) In this section— “act of piracy” means— (a) an illegal act of violence or detention, or any act of depredation for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed— (i) on the high seas against another ship, or aircraft, or persons or property on board such ship or aircraft, as the case may be; or (ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property on board the ship or aircraft, as the case may be, in a place outside the jurisdiction of a State; (b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft, with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft; or (c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in paragraph (a) or (b); [Issue 4] P8A – 2 “maritime attack” means— (a) an illegal act of violence or detention, or any act of depredation for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed— (i) against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft, as the case may be; or (ii) against a ship or aircraft, as the case may be; or (b) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in paragraph (a), within the territorial sea or the internal, historic and archipelagic waters of Mauritius.