(1) Every ship shall, before registry under this Act, be marked permanently and conspicuously to the satisfaction of the Minister in the following manner: -

(a) the ship's name shall be marked on each of her bows, and her name and the name of her port of registry shall be marked on her stern, on a dark ground in white or yellow letters, or on a light ground in black letters, and the letters shall be not less than four inches in length and of proportionate breadth;

(b) the ship's official number and the number denoting her registered tonnage shall be cut on her main beam;

(c) a scale of feet denoting the ship's draught of water shall be marked on each side of her stem and of her stern post in Roman capital letters or in figures not less than six inches in length, the lower line of such letters or figures to coincide with the draught line denoted thereby, and those lines or figures shall be marked by being cut in and painted white or yellow on a dark ground, or in such other way as the Minister approves.

(2) The Minister may exempt any class of ships from all or any of the requirements of this section, and a fishing boat entered in the fishing boat register and lettered and numbered in pursuance of Part IV of the Act of 1894 need not have her name and port of registry marked under this section.