42In this case, Spanish law confers on masters and chief mates of merchant ships flying the Spanish flag, first, rights connected to the maintenance of safety and to the exercise of police powers, particularly in the case of danger on board, together with, in appropriate cases, powers of investigation, coercion and punishment, which go beyond the requirement merely to contribute to maintaining public safety by which any individual is bound, and, secondly, authority in respect of notarial matters and the registration of births, marriages and deaths, which cannot be explained solely by the requirements entailed in commanding the vessel. Such duties constitute participation in the exercise of rights under powers conferred by public law for the purposes of safeguarding the general interests of the flag State.
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