Volume Nine - Pre-Victorian to the present day - even more aspects - The Board of Trade, Mercantile Marine Offices at Penarth Dock . . .

Under the duties of officers, the Act also allowed for these duties, optionally, to be performed by Custom's Officers at any Customs House. The Act was extended by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1854, in which similar clauses were embodied and the duties of the officials elaborated.

Within section 124 of this Act the following provisions were made : -

'It shall be the general business of shipping masters appointed as aforesaid,

• To afford facilities for engaging seamen by keeping registers of their names and characters ;
• To superintend and facilitate their engagement and discharge in a manner hereinafter mentioned ;
• To provide means for securing the presence on board at the proper times of men who are so engaged ;
• To facilitate the making of apprenticeships to the sea service ;
• To perform such other duties relating to merchant seamen and merchant ships as are hereby, or may hereafter under the powers herein contained, be committed to them.'

An Amendment Act of 1862, stipulated that the title of 'shipping master' was to be replaced with the rather grandiose title of 'Superintendents of Mercantile Marine'. The term 'shipping office' became obsolete and was replaced with 'Mercantile Marine Office.' Thus in 1865, the Penarth Dock being complete, the Mercantile Marine Offices were commenced, although when they were actually completed is somewhat unclear.

The objective of the officers of the Mercantile Marine Office was to engage seamen as crews of merchant ships and get them to sign 'Articles of Agreement'. These details were entered within a register. The other duty was to discharge them from these contracts with the ship masters at the completion of the voyage or of their contract.