A Useful Guide to the World of Maritime Law
Transporting specialized cargo, particularly sensitive items such as human remains, is a delicate task that requires precision, care, and strict adherence to legal and ethical guidelines. Whether the remains are to be transported for burial, cremation, or forensic purposes, the logistics behind this sensitive process must prioritize respect, safety, and compliance with various regulations. This…
You often hear reference to oil rigs and platforms, and sometimes people will say, that wasn’t a platform, it was a rig; or the opposite. So why do the terms cause so much confusion? As usual, it is because there is some crossover in the terminology. But if you understand the underlying mechanics, you will […]
The UK Standard Conditions for Towage and Other Services (UKSTC) is probably the world’s most popular towage agreement. The 1986 version is the latest one and probably the most popular. It is used, sometimes by other names or in similar versions, worldwide, and is the go-to contract for people asked to tow other vessels. This […]
Most maritime countries in the world apply a two year time bar to collision claims (by virtue of some form of ratification to the Brussels Collision Conventions 1910). In other words, where a vessel collides with another, and causes damage, the Claimant must issue proceedings before the local courts within two years. If they fail […]
Learning to sail is one of the best ways to familiarise yourself with the basics of operating a vessel on water. Many of the terms draw across to the shipping industry. It was therefore an opportunity too good to miss when the the East Fremantle Yacht Club of Perth, Australia offered to provide us […]
We often receive queries from readers at the Shipping Law Blog, and today we received one from a non-lawyer, who had been asked to confirm whether one of their contracts contained a ‘liquidated damages clause‘. (Image Credit: Western Area Power) To non-lawyers this language is typical of the legalese used by lawyers, to refer to […]
Tugboats are one of the most easily recognised of all vessel types, and have found a popular place in the public’s eyes, even appearing in a number of Children’s books and television programmes. However, there are a number of common varieties it is useful to recognise if you are working in the industry; each has […]
A large Russian fish factory, the “Dalniy Vostok”, sank off the remote east coast of Russia on Wednesday 1 April 2015, resulting in a very high number of casualties. Vessel: Fishing Trawler “Dalniy Vostok” / “Dal’nij Vostok” (IMO No. 5085653) P & I Club: Unconfirmed (but thought to be Ingosstrakh) […]
Early reports are outlining an incident onboard the cruise ship “Boudicca”, which appears to have gone on fire whilst sailing off the coast of Spain as part of a Mediterranean cruise. Vessel: Cruise Ship “Boudicca” (IMO No. 7218395) P & I Club: Skuld GT: 28,551 Build: 1973 (42 years old) […]
In what seems to have been a disastrous few weeks for the Scandinavian P&I Clubs the huge 51,770 GT “Hoegh Osaka” car carrier, which we understand is entered with Gard, has run aground on a sand bank whilst leaving Southampton for Bremerhaven. When there are cars onboard it is common for the […]