AN INTRODUCTION TO MARITIME LAW

By
Dr. P.K. Mukherjee
ITF Professor of Maritime Safety and Environmental Protection
World Maritime University
Malm, Sweden

1. INTRODUCTION

Maritime law has been variously described and defined in ways that reflect subjective
perception as well as semantics. One view is that "maritime law provides the legal framework
for maritime transport 1. Another is that maritime law comprises a "body of legal rules and
concepts concerning the business of carrying goods and passengers by water 2. Both are
narrow in scope but the first is more general and could be construed as embracing matters
maritime which extend beyond the purely private domain of maritime business and
commerce into areas of public concern.
Those who subscribe to the above characterizations would distinguish maritime law
from another body of law, namely, the law of the sea, which they would identify as a branch
of public international law dealing with the oceans and its multifarious uses and resources in
terms of broad, fundamental principles 3. Others would submit that the distinction is artificial
and anomalous, and in support of their proposition would point to the etymological root of
the word "maritime", which derived from the latin means "of or pertaining to the sea 4. In
this broad sense the term maritime law accommodates the entire body of laws, rules, legal
concepts and processes that relate to the use of marine resources, ocean commerce, and
navigation. 5
The expression "admiralty law", used in many countries with Anglo Saxon legal
traditions adds to the terminology debate. Admiralty law refers to the body of law including
procedural rules developed by the English Courts of Admiralty in their exercise of
jurisdiction over matters pertaining to the sea. This jurisdiction was distinctively different
1

Guide-Lines for Maritime Legislation, Third Edition, (Guidelines Vol. I); United Nations Publication,
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Bangkok, Thailand,
(ST/ESCAP/1076), p. 1.

Thomas J. Schoenbaum and A.N.Yiannopoulos, Admiralty and Maritime Law, Cases and Materials,
Charlottesville, Va., 1984, at p. 1.

See Gordon W. Paulsen, A Historical Overview of the Development of Uniformity in International

Maritime Law, (1983), Tulane Law Review, Vol. 57, No. 5, 1065, where at p. 1085 the author says The phrase law of the sea is, however, different from maritime law. The law of the
sea refers to the respective rights of states over the worlds waterways.

Thomas J. Schoenbaum, Admiralty and Maritime Law, 2nd Edition, Vol. 1, St. Paul, Minn., West
Publishing Co., 1994 at p. 1.

Ibid, at p. 2.

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from that of the common law courts. Admiralty law thus originally encompassed those
subject matters over which the admiralty courts possessed inherent jurisdiction imbued
through a process of evolution. Subsequently, these subject matters, which bore a maritime
character, were codified and enumerated by statute. Interestingly enough, while in the
English language the word "admiralty" originates in the office of the Lord Admiral, its root
meaning is derived from Arabic 6.
The term shipping law is used to describe the law relating to ships and shipping. It is
mostly used interchangeably with the term maritime law and encompasses all aspects of
ships, shipping and maritime transportation. It is both private and regulatory in scope and
includes commercial maritime law, maritime safety, pollution prevention and labour law as
well as admiralty law in common law jurisdictions, but does not extend to the public
international law of the sea. In common law jurisdictions, admiralty law often connotes the
maritime law relating to wet matters, i.e., those involving ships when they are at sea, as
distinguished from dry matters also involving ships but pertaining only to commercial
aspects that are essentially land-based issues.
While maritime law consists of two broad elements, dividing it into two neat
compartments and labelling them "public" and "private", is rather an oversimplification. The
shipping industry is involved in many matters of general law and non-maritime legal
transactions which are not part of the lex maritima 7. It is well acknowledged that many
aspects of commercial maritime law are in fact derived from the lex mercatoria 8. The
bifurcation may be attributable to perceptions that are politically tinged. As professor Gold
states... the new law of the sea has in the past decade addressed itself to
almost all areas of ocean use except the one that since before the dawn
of history, has been preeminent - the use of the ocean as a means to
transport people and their goods from place to place on this planet, so
much more of which is water than is land. Marine transport has been
discussed in an almost abstract manner, as if it did not really fit or
belong within the public domain but needed to be confined to the
more "private" region of international commerce, which was
considered to be outside the scope of the law of the sea 9.
By contrast, writing in 1930, Professor Sanborn had this to say The words maritime law, as commonly used today, denote that part
of the whole law which deals chiefly with the legal relations arising
from the use of ships. But in the earlier period, of which this work
treats, the law maritime had a considerably wider scope. It dealt not
6

Supra, footnote 2 at p. 1 and in particular, footnotes 1 and 2 on that page.

Supra, footnote 2 at p. 1. See the reference in footnote 1 of that page to G. Gilmore and C. Black, The
Law of Admiralty, 2nd Edition, 1975 at p.1.

See William Tetley, Maritime Liens and Claims, 1st Edition, 1985; London: Business Law
Communications Ltd. at p. 1.

Ibid.

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merely with the modern Admiralty law, but also with the primitive
ancestors of some branches of our modern commercial law, dealt, too,
with the germs of that public law which we today style international
law 10.
Undoubtedly, there are numerous subject matters which fall within the scope of
maritime law not all of which are compatible with categorization in terms of "public" or
"private".
2. HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF MARITIME LAW

The history of maritime law is lost in antiquity. The early law evolved from custom,
and maritime custom was a function of ocean use or activity upon the sea. Shipping or seaborne trade being the oldest and most predominant of ocean uses, maritime law evolved from
the customs and practices of early merchants and seafarers and was largely private and
commercial in character. Custom and usage as well as adjudicative decisions were codified as
ratio scripta in certain parts of the maritime world, and in several instances were
subsequently transformed into positive enactments by a law making authority.
The genesis of maritime legislation or codified maritime law begins with the Code of
Hammurabi of Babylon dating back to the period between 2000 and 1600 B.C. It contained
rules with respect to marine collisions, the practice of bottomry and leases of ships 11. It
would appear that these rules were a codification of Sumerian customs and practices from
earlier times 12. The Egyptians first, and then the Phoenicians and Greeks, in that successive
order, maintained maritime supremacy in the Mediterranean region. The Phoenicians
evidently developed maritime customs which survived their fall from supremacy and is
reported to be the basis of much maritime law even to this day 13. Phoenician dominance
lasted for almost a thousand years. During the millennium before Christ, they occupied
Cyprus, settled in Malta and in parts of Spain and founded Carthage in North Africa. With
their gradual demise, the Greek states rose to supremacy.
In as early as 400 B.C., the Greek law included many maritime provisions ranging
from substantive matters such as the treatment of shipwrecked "nautodikai", i.e., seamen, and
adjudication of disputes concerning maritime contracts, to procedural matters such as the
jurisdiction of the maritime court 14. Special courts had been established in Athens to deal
10

F. R. Sanborn, Origins of the Early English Maritime and Commercial Law, Professional Books Ltd.,
Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, Reprint 1989, at p. xvi.

11

Edgar Gold, Maritime Transport: The Evolution of International Marine Policy and Shipping Law,
Toronto: Lexington Books, 1981 at p.5.

12

Gold, ibid., Schoenbaum, supra, footnote 4.

13

Gold, ibid., at p. 5. See, e.g., D.J. Wilson and J.H.S. Cooke, Lowndes and Rudolf: The Law of General
Average and the York-Antwerp Rules, 11th Ed., London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1990, pp. 1 to 2, attributed
by the authors to Pardessus who considers it probable that the Rhodians borrowed their maritime
laws from the Phoenicians, though he hardly offers any particular reasons for the conjecture. 1 Pard.
Intr. xxix.

14

C.S. Lobingier, The Maritime Law of Rome, (1935), Juridical Review 47 at p.3.

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with maritime matters. These courts, the dikai emiporikai, were reportedly organized with
orderly rules and procedures. The Greeks evidently engaged in such peculiar maritime
practices as bottomry and respondentia and the Athenian maritime courts were known to have
enforced such bonds 15. These were contracts of foenus nauticum or marine usury, i.e., loans
to cover maritime risks, which was the forerunner of the marine insurance contract. 16 Similar
maritime practices existed in Hindu India, as far back as 900 B.C. when the Code of Manu
was written. Commercial law was a developed facet of the advanced civilization of that
region 17 which included rules relating to interest on bottomry loans for sea voyages. 18
The island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean rose to prominence as a centre of
maritime commerce in the latter part of the Greek era. The Rhodians were accomplished
seafarers and traders. They became a dominant maritime force in the Aegean Sea and reached
the peak of their prosperity and achievements around the third century B.C. 19 They evidently
developed and compiled the first comprehensive Maritime Code of Rhodes. Much of Greek
maritime law including the Athenian laws were based on this Code 20. The city state of
Alexandria, among others, was an important centre of maritime activity during this time 21.
The Rhodian Maritime Code reportedly found its way into the Roman legal system in
subsequent years and prevailed through to the Byzantine era 22. Evidence of the adoption of
Rhodian maritime law into the laws of Rome is found in the Justinian Digests in two famous
passages.
The first one addresses the principle of jettison and contribution in general average by
co-adventurers. The passage is found under the heading De Lege Rhodia de Jactu (i.e., of the
Rhodian Law of Jettison). The second passage appears in the form of an anecdote. In
response to a petition to the Emperor Antoninus regarding the plundering of a wrecked ship,
the Emperor declares thatI, indeed, am lord of the world, but the law is lord of the sea. Let it
be judged by the Rhodian law, prescribed concerning nautical matters,
so far as no one of our laws is opposed 23.

15

Gold, supra, footnote 11 at p. 8.

16

James Reddie, Historical view of the Law of Maritime Commerce, William Blackwood & Sons,
Edinburgh & London at p. 54.

17

Ibid, at pp. 492-493.

18

Ibid, at p. 493.

19

Gold, supra, footnote 11 at p. 7.

20

Ibid, at p. 8.

21

Schoenbaum, supra, footnote 4 at p. 4.

22

Gold, supra, footnote 11 at p. 10.

23

Robert D. Benedict, The Historical Position of the Rhodian Law, (1909), 18 Yale Law Journal 223 at
p. 233.

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The early maritime law of Rome as recorded in the Digests and writings of eminent
contemporary lawyers such as Cicero and Servius, covered a wide spectrum of subject
matters. While they were not codified, the laws, promulgated through the decisions of juriconsults and Praetorian Edicts, reflected the law of Rhodes. Eventually, it was the Emperor
Augustus who gave positive legislative sanction to the maritime laws so developed, which
henceforth precluded the judges from deviating from the written law in their decisions 24. In
those laws, trading vessels were enumerated and described according to whether they carried
cargo or passengers, and whether they traded on the high seas or in inland waters 25. There
were rules relating to the acquisition of vessels by construction and subsequent conveyance
or transfer by sale or bequest, rules relating to co-ownership or co-partnership, joint and
several liability to third parties and joint vicarious liability for the fault of the master and
crew. The notion of what in subsequent times came to be known as the maritime lien or
privilege, which prevails even today, has its origins in Roman law. The contract of
affreightment was known; and ships were hired through demise, voyage or time charters. The
notion of sea carriage of goods owned by different cargo owners against payment of freight
was well known, and rules governing agency and the vicarious relationship between the
shipowner and the master pertaining to all matters concerning the vessel and the voyage were
firmly established. There were rules relating to carrier liability for cargo damage, and relief
from liability if damage resulted from damnum fatale such as shipwreck or piratical attacks 26.
The owner or master had a lien or privilege over the cargo for the non-payment of freight 27.
The law of general average had been inherited from the Rhodians. There were
elaborate rules governing maritime loans including contracts of bottomry and respondentia,
otherwise knows as foenus nauticum 28. The law contained provisions regarding pilotage at
mouths of rivers and dangerous coasts, and rules against the plundering of wrecked ships and
goods 29. The appropriation of a wrecked ship or jettisoned goods was considered a theft, in
respect of which, the perpetrator could be subject to civil liability, and in some cases, to
criminal sanctions. Even the public treasury was forbidden to claim a wrecked ship or goods
cast ashore for appropriation to the state revenue 30. There were no special maritime
provisions on collisions. The Roman statute of damages, the Lex Aquilia was the governing
law under which liability was imposed on the negligent navigator and it was unlimited 31.

24

Supra, footnote 16 at pp. 85-86.

25

Supra, footnote 16 at p. 89; and supra, footnote 11 at p. 14.

26

Supra, footnote 10 at p. 11.

27

Supra, footnote 16 at p. 93.

28

Ibid, at pp. 111-115; See also Sanborn supra, footnote 10 at pp. 17-18.

29

Ibid, at p. 116.

30

Reddie, ibid; Sanborn, supra, footnote 10 at p. 16; Gold, supra, footnote 11 at p. 14. However, salvage
is rooted in the general principles of natural equity which gave use to a cause of action in Roman
law. See The Calypso (1828), 2 Hagg. 209 at pp. 217-218, cited in David W. Steel and Francis D.
Rose, Kennedys Law of Salvage, 5th Ed., London: Stevens & Co., 1985 at p.7.

31

Sanborn, ibid, at p. 118.

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Among the city States which flourished during this era, the most prominent maritime
codes developed over several hundred years were the sea laws of Venice, Genoa and Pisa, the
tablets of Amalfi, the Statutes of Marseilles, the Consolata del Mare of Barcelona, the laws
of Wisby, the laws of the Hanseatic city States of Northern Germany and most importantly,
the Roles dOleron or Rolls of Oleron 32 which are generally recognized as the basis of latterday modern European maritime codes, including the maritime law of England 33.
The compilation known as the Consolato del Mare of Barcelona developed during the
late 14th and early 15th centuries contained the customs and practices of maritime law
referred to above and included a variety of codes and judicial decisions dating back to
Roman, and even earlier, to Rhodian times 34. The Consolato is held to be the earliest general
code of maritime law preserved and carried into modern Europe 35. The contribution of the
Consolato in the shaping of modern maritime law is self-evident.
Since Teutonic times, Northern Europe has enjoyed a great seafaring tradition which
exists even to this day. Long before Christopher Colombus allegedly "discovered" the
continent of America, nordic seafarers, then known as the Vikings, crossed the treacherous
waters of the North Atlantic in their fabled long ships and landed in the north-eastern parts of
present-day Canada. In their earlier history they were essentially conquerors, and not
maritime traders, like the peoples of the Mediterranean region. However, during the middle
ages, the seafarers of Northern Europe rose to great heights in maritime commerce and
established sophisticated codes of maritime laws. The first and most prominent of these were
the Laws of Wisby. The town of Wisby in the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea was a
prominent centre of maritime commerce in the llth century. It is now a part of Sweden. The
Hogheste Water-Recht de Wisby, is said to be the oldest maritime laws of the middle ages and
is the source of the earliest part of the Rolls of Oleron. As early as in 1369, the Congress of
the Hanseatic League adopted an Ordinance on private maritime law and by the early 17th
century the League developed private maritime law into legislative form as a body of legal
doctrine 36.
Oleron, a tiny island close to Bordeaux in the Bay of Biscay was a major trading
centre during the 12th century. It is now a part of France, but in those days it was English
territory and its importance as a centre of trade and commerce is attributed to the Crusades 37.
The Rolls of Oleron are considered to be the most distinguished of the medieval maritime
codes. They were based on the early Mediterranean maritime customs and practices and drew
from the subsequently codified Italian sources of that region, in particular, the Consolato del
Mare 38. The Rolls also contained judgements of the maritime court of Oleron 39. In
32

Supra, footnote 11 at pp. 18-19, 27-29.

33

Ibid, at p. 39.

34

Gold, supra, footnote 11 at p. 27.

35

Reddie, supra, footnote 16 at p. 171.

36

Ibid, at p. 254.

37

Supra, footnote 11 at p. 19.

38

Ibid, Schoenbaum, supra, footnote 4 at pp. 9-10.

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Blackstone's Commentaries, it is stated that Richard I composed a body of laws at the isle of
Oleron, which are of high authority40. John Seldon, in his learned treatise De Dominio Maris,
maintains that Richard I, on his return from the Holy Land corrected and published anew, in
the island of Oleron, a previously established set of maritime regulations. Sir Edward Coke
and Sir Leoline Jenkins 41 have supported this proposition in their respective writings 42. One
of the manuscripts of the Rolls, still preserved, contains a collection renowned as the Black
Book of the Admiralty. The Rolls were most comprehensive and articulate and profoundly
influenced the development of maritime law and legislation in Europe for several centuries to
come, up to the modern era.
Entrenched in the Rolls were the principles of the contract of affreightment, the
charterparty, the notion of making a ship seaworthy at the commencement of a voyage, the
liability of the carrier for damage to cargo, the requirement for skilful navigation and
management of the vessel, the concept of transhipment of cargo, the principles of despatch
and demurrage and the maritime hypotheque. There were also the laws of salvage and general
average 43.
The English maritime law consists of the common or consuetudinary law and the
statutory maritime law. The former itself has two components, the lex mercatoria (law
merchant) and the lex maritima (law maritime). 44 That division aside, the basic source of
English maritime law is the Black Book of the Admiralty45. Aside from the common law and
chancery courts, which occasionally and inadequately meted out maritime justice, the only
courts which dealt exclusively with maritime disputes were the courts of the seaports. Of
these, the so-called "Cinque Ports" grew in fame. They were ports along the English Channel
which were originally three in number, grew to five, and finally were seven. These ports
provided ships to the monarch and thus enjoyed certain privileges such as exemption from
taxation and wide jurisdiction to adjudicate over maritime matters. The sittings of the seaport
courts were held on the seashore from tide to tide. They were presided over by merchants and
local port officials who adopted the law of the Rolls of Oleron together with local customary
laws to administer justice 46.

39

John G. Colombos, International Law of the Sea, pp. 32-33, cited in supra, footnote 11 at p. 19.

40

Blackstones Commentaries, Vol. IV at p. 423, cited in Reddie, supra, footnote 16 at p. 212.

41

An eminent civilian judge of the English High Court of Admiralty during the reign of Charles II.

42

Supra, footnote 16 at p. 212.

43

Ibid, at p. 221.

44

Ibid, at p. 422. Incidentally, in some jurisdictions such as the United States, which in large measure
adopted the English maritime law, the equivalent of the consuetudinary law is referred to as the
"general maritime law". See G.L. Canfield, Note (1922) 20 Mich. L. Rev. 535 cited in G.H. Robinson,
An Introduction to American Admiralty,', (1935), 21 Cornell Law Quarterly 46 at pp. 48-49.

45

Supra, footnote 11 at p. 39.

46

Edgar Gold, Canadian Admiralty Law, Introductory Materials, 7th Ed., Dalhousie University, Faculty
of Law, Halifax, 1990 at pp. I-2 to I-3.

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During this period, England experienced an expansion in navigation and commercial

ventures as well as maritime expeditions occasioned by the Crusades. Piracy was on the rise;
insubordination and disorderly conduct among seafarers became rampant. These eventualities
led to the development of a single judiciary body conferred with appropriate jurisdiction and
facilities to deal with these matters. The problem with piracy became acute and various
attempts to suppress it led to the establishment of the Office of the Lord High Admiral and
the beginnings of a Court of Admiralty. In 1360, Edward III granted a commission to John de
Beauchamp as "Admiral of all the fleets of ships, south, north and west". The Admiral had
executive and regulatory jurisdiction over all ships and seafarers under his command and
over piracy and prize cases. By a commission of 1386, the Admiral was empowered to hear
complaints .... of all and singular of such matters as belonged to the office of
Admiral and to take cognizance of maritime causes and to do justice
and... to do and exercise all other things which to that office
appertained as of right and according to maritime laws shall have to be
done 47.
During the reign of Charles III, Sir Leoline Jenkins, an eminent civilian skilled in
maritime jurisprudence was Judge of the Court of Admiralty. At his behest, the Black Book,
which was originally written in old Norman-French, was translated into English. 48. Of the six
documents in this Book, the first two dealt with the office and powers of the Admiral; the
fourth carried the title "Laws of Oleron" and contained a series of thirty-five articles on
private maritime law and the fifth contained eighteen articles on private maritime law which
addressed matters beyond the scope of the Rolls of Oleron. Following these articles, there
were sixty-three regulations dealing with inquiries and prosecutions in relation to criminal
and delinquent acts committed on the high seas or coasts 49. The great body of maritime law
in England consisting of the lex mercatoria and the lex maritima, developed organically,
independent of code or statute. It was derived, basically, from three sources; namely, foreign
laws, mainly the Rolls of Oleron and the Hanseatic Ordinances, treatises of learned authors
and judicial decisions of England and other jurisdictions which followed the law merchant
and the law maritime 50. In Blackstone's Commentaries it is stated that the affairs of
commerce are regulated by a law of their own, called the law merchant, or Lex Mercatoria,
which all nations agree in and take notice of; and, in particular, it is held to be a part of the
law of England 51; and ... in all marine causes, relating to freight, average, demurrage,
insurance, bottomry, and others of a similar nature, the law merchant, which is a branch of
the law of nations, is regularly and constantly adhered to 52. The international character of
maritime law, and its recognition as such in England is evident from the above.

47

Ibid, at p. 1 - 3.

48

Reddie, supra, footnote 16 at pp. 419-420.

49

Ibid, at pp. 420-421.

50

Ibid, at p. 426.

51

Blackstones Commentaries, Vol. I at p. 273.

52

Blackstones Commentaries, Vol. IV at p. 69.

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It is notable that significant strides in maritime law had also been made in some parts
of the Asian continent. In as early as the thirteenth century, the people of the islands of
Malacca had a maritime code. Indeed, the traders of Bugis and Macassar, which were nations
distinctly different from the Malays, possessed a maritime code which was even older in
time, but in subsequent years, they adopted the Malaccan Sea Code in much the same way as
the Romans adopted the Rhodian Code 53.
The Malaccan Code would have been compiled around 1276 during the reign of
Sultan Mohammed Shah, known to be the first Malayan sovereign who adopted and
established the Islamic faith within his domain. The architects of the Code were "nakhodas"
or shipmasters, and according to the preamble of the Code the laws contained therein were
"to be enforced in ships, junks and prahus" 54. The Code was not simply an exposition of
prevailing custom and usage, but had the status of law sanctioned by the reigning sovereign.
It encompassed such matters as demurrage, troves (salvage) and jettison. In the law of
jettison, there existed the contemporaneous practice followed in the western hemisphere,
inherited from the Rhodian law, of the master consulting passengers with goods on board
before committing the act of jettison 55. Under the Rhodian Law, the master had to put the
cargo owners to a vote; according to the Tablets of Amalfi, if the merchants refused to
jettison, the master after protest, could unilaterally carry out the act. Two centuries later,
under the Consolato del Mare, the captain had to deliver a set speech to all on board before
he could lawfully jettison the cargo. The Rolls of Oleron contained the same rule but with a
shorter speech. The laws of Wisby and Hansa did not require the speech of the master or the
consent of the merchants 56. Under the Malaccan Code, the nakhoda had to assemble all
interested parties on board and hold a "general consultation" before he could proceed to
jettison the cargo; otherwise he would be at fault 57. The universality of the customary law of
jettison is evident from the above accounts. Such were the ways in which maritime law
evolved through the centuries from pre-historic times in different parts of the world.
3. OVERVIEW OF MARITIME LAW SUBJECTS

Against the foregoing backdrop, an overview of specific subjects of maritime law is

presented here. These subject matters encompass regulatory and private law aspects as well
as hybrid areas of maritime law. It will be observed that the non-private law subject matters
inevitably flow from corresponding framework provisions in the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), which is considered to be largely a codification of
the customary international law of the sea and as such, is often referred to as the constitution
of the oceans.
3.1

Acquisition and Registration of Ships

53

See Reddie, supra, footnote 16. at p. 483.

54

Prahu refers to a particular kind of watercraft.

55

J.H. Wigmore, A Panorama of the Worlds Legal Systems, Vol. 3 St. Paul, Minn: West Publishing,
1928 at p. 902.

56

Supra, footnote 11 at p. 29; supra, footnote 16 at p. 486.

57

Supra, footnote 16 at p. 486.

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Ships are usually acquired either through private purchase or lease, better known as
demise or bareboat charter. Indeed lease is a term used more in the context of ship financing.
Ships can also be built to order by a prospective owner, or can be built and sold new by a
shipbuilder or a person who ordered it to be built. All of these ways and means of ship
acquisition are carried out under highly specialized and complex contractual arrangements
which obviously fall squarely within the domain of private maritime law. Almost invariably,
the contracts involved are of standard form suitably modified to suit the needs of the parties
involved. A ship can also be acquired through a judicial sale following an arrest of the ship.
Needless to say, there is almost always a financing aspect to ship acquisition and the
financing arrangements involve not only specialized lenders but specialized contracts as well.
A rather uncommon way, in contemporary terms, through which a ship can be acquired is as
prize. This takes place when in times of war an enemy ship is captured and a court invested
with prize jurisdiction conducts condemnation proceedings following which the claimant may
acquire title to the captured vessel.

After a ship is acquired by one of the procedures described above, it needs to be

registered if it is a registrable vessel 58. Registration serves a three-fold purpose. First, there is
the public law function. Registration is the procedural device through which the flag state
confers nationality on a ship. The granting of nationality makes a ship subject to the national
legal regime without which, the ship including people on board would, metaphorically, float
in a legal vacuum. Nationality is thus a substantive matter whereas registration is the
procedural mechanism through which it is effectuated. The flag in physical terms is the
symbol of the ship's nationality although in maritime jargon the word is used interchangeably
with ship nationality and flag state refers to the state in which the ship is registered. By virtue
of the ship's nationality the flag state exercises jurisdiction and control over the ship and
fulfils its obligations under international law. Secondly, registration serves as prima facie
evidence of ownership of the ship and protects other proprietary interests such as mortgages
and registrable charges. This is a private law function. Thirdly, registration serves as a public
record of proprietary interests. This is somewhat of a hybrid function. Also, details by which
a ship can be identified such as its dimensions, tonnages and classification are recorded in the
register.
The nature of the ship registry whether it is open, closed, or partially open/closed is a
matter of national maritime policy. Under UNCLOS there must be a genuine link between the
ship and its flag state. The absence of any definitive judicial pronouncement on what exactly
is meant by genuine link has left flag states free to interpret the term according to their
individual national interests and aspirations.
3.2

Proprietary Interests in Ships

The proprietary interests in a ship are of three kinds, namely, ownership, mortgages
and maritime liens. Ownership has been discussed above. Ship acquisitions are usually
financed through maritime mortgages where the subject ship is the principal security for the
loan. Maritime mortgages exist only in respect of maritime property, a term that has been
58

National maritime legislation may provide that vessels below a specified size threshold are not
registrable because they are not sea-going; or registration may be optional, or there may be a licensing
regime. Ships under construction are usually not registrable because they are not ships by statutory
definition.

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judicially defined as ship, cargo and freight 59. There is no compulsion in common law
jurisdictions for mortgages to be registered but a commercial lender would be foolhardy not
to do so. An unregistered mortgage is considered to be an equitable mortgage, and as such,
ranks lower in priority to a registered mortgage. In many civil law jurisdictions, where there
is no concept of an equitable mortgage, a mortgage comes into existence only through
registration.
Transfers and transmissions of ships and their mortgages are registrable interests but
maritime liens are not. Indeed the secrecy of its existence is a fundamental attribute of the
maritime lien which distinguishes it from other species of maritime claims. A maritime lien
accrues from the moment of the event which triggered the claim and is inchoate or
incomplete, or rather, dormant until crystallized by arrest or proceedings in rem. It is also
indelible to the extent that, similar to the mortgage, it travels with the res unconditionally
regardless of change of ownership, and is extinguished only by statutory time bar or
application of the equitable doctrine of laches or total loss of the res. Maritime liens enjoy the
highest priority ranking ahead of possessory liens, mortgages and statutory rights in rem
otherwise referred to as statutory liens, in that order. With regard to salvage claims, the
ranking inter se is in inverse order.
The English law of maritime liens, particularly in the context of conflict of laws, is
fraught with uncertainties and inconsistencies 60. Contrary to the continental civil law view,
the English common law position, albeit arguably, is that the maritime lien, both in terms of
the nature of the claim and its priority ranking, is a procedural matter and therefore subject
exclusively to the lex fori 61. The International Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages,
1993 is the third attempt at international unification of the law of maritime liens. The
convention is expected to enter into force in 2004, without the United Kingdom, which means
that the English law on this subject will remain what it is today.
3.3

Safe Manning of Ships, Seafarers Qualifications and Maritime Labour

After a ship has been acquired and matters relating to her ownership and other
proprietary interests have been dealt with, the ship has to be crewed and made ready for
service. The flag states responsibilities in this regard are set out in Article 94 of UNCLOS,
albeit in general terms. The requirements for safe manning are also to be found in the Safety
of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) and the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Convention 109 on Wages, Hours of Work and Manning. The cornerstone of safe manning is
sufficiency, efficiency and safety and the specific requirements are set out in an IMO
Resolution pursuant to SOLAS. Seafarers qualifications in terms of training and certification
requirements and watchkeeping arrangements on board are governed by the Standards of
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention, 1978, overhauled extensively
by the 1995 amendments which also include an STCW Code. Maritime labour matters are
hybrid in scope as there is both a contractual element setting out the terms of employment,
59

Flotsam, jetsam, lagan, derelict and wreck are also maritime property. See Sir Henry Constables Case,
infra, footnote 123.

60

P.K. Mukherjee, The Law of Maritime Liens and Conflict of Laws, JIML 9 [2003] 6 p. 515.

61

Bankers Trust International Ltd v. Todd Shipyards Corporation (The Halcyon Isle) [1980] 2 Lloyds
Rep. 325 (P.C.). The postion is different in Canadian law. See The Ioannis Daskalelis [1974] 1 Lloyds
Rep. 174, where the Supreme Court of Canada held that the nature of a claim ex contractu is
determined according to the lex loci contractus but the priority ranking is according to the lex fori.

- 11 -

often according to collective agreement, and public policy considerations reflected through
statutory requirements to which the contractual element is subject. The statutory elements are
quite extensive and are, in many instances dictated by relevant ILO instruments pertaining to
maritime labour. All of the above matters including the welfare of seafarers, occupational
safety and adequate competence and proficiency are part of the human element in shipping. It
is a matter of serious concern in connection with current issues such as maritime security,
casualties and the subject of refuge.
3.4

Maritime Safety

There are essentially four components of maritime safety, namely, ship safety,
navigational safety, cargo safety and occupational safety. Much of the law is regulatory in
scope but there are also private law elements pertaining to liability for damage and injury and
the attendant remedy, primarily that of compensation or damages.
Ship safety is concerned with how safe a ship is as a waterborne object that houses
human beings and property including passengers and cargo. It necessarily embraces the
concepts of structural soundness and watertight integrity including statical and dynamical
stability considerations and safety equipment. As such, the concerns associated with ship
safety are primarily of a technical nature. The standards pertaining to ship safety are
contained in the technical rules of classification societies setting out scantlings and in the
technical safety conventions of IMO, i.e., SOLAS, MARPOL, LOADLINE and their
associated treaty instruments. The SOLAS body of instruments contains detailed provisions
regarding surveys and certification systems for passenger and cargo ships. Survey and
certification systems under SOLAS, MARPOL and LOADLINES have now been integrated
by means of a Harmonized system of surveys and Certification (HSSC).
Navigational safety has to do with the safety of the ship as a manoeverable floating
object including the safety of humans and property on board. This obviously entails rules of
navigation as well as navigational equipment. The rules and standards are contained in the
Collision Regulations (COLREGS) and SOLAS Conventions. The COLREGS are the most
universally accepted maritime rules. Apart from being regulatory law, as the name implies,
the rules frequently have important implications for the judicial resolution of civil liabilities
in marine collision cases. The international law of collision liability is contained in the 1910
Collision Convention 62 to which most maritime states are parties. An important feature of the
Convention is the express abolition of the hitherto statutory presumption of fault, under
which, a ship in contravention of the COLREGS was presumed to be at fault. Among other
things, the Convention sets out the rule of proportional liability according to the degree of
fault in cases of collision. Where the degree of fault of each vessel cannot be determined, the
liability is to be apportioned equally, and where the collision is accidental or due to force
majeure, the loss lies where it falls. If a collision is caused by the fault of only one ship, then
that ship only is liable to make good the damages.
The subject of freeboard is an integral part of the maritime safety regime which
straddles both ship safety as well as navigational safety and is governed by the 1966 Loadline
Convention. This convention also enjoys widespread universality. As freeboard relates to the
watertight integrity of the ship, as well as its ability to float safely, there are provisions in the
62

International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law with Respect to Collision
Between Vessels, Brussels, 1910.

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Convention relating to the carriage of deck cargo, and special loadlines are provided for
timber deck cargo. The Convention makes each state party responsible for ensuring
compliance with the convention by ships flying its flag. In practice, however, loadlines are
assigned by classification societies, which are private organizations, although a flag-state
may have its own classification authority within its maritime infrastructure.
Occupational safety concerns the safety of seafarers serving on board ships. Safety
here is a matter of ergonomics and also welfare and well-being on board in potentially hostile
maritime conditions at sea. Much depends on how well the seafarer is trained to cope with
these conditions and carry out his tasks safely and efficiently. The rules and standards
relating to occupational safety are contained largely in a host of conventions and treaty
instruments of ILO, in particular ILO Convention 147 on Minimum Standards, as well as
STCW and parts of SOLAS. Some ILO conventions that are quite archaic have now been
revised to address issues such as fatigue and adequate hours of rest.
Cargo safety rules are also contained in SOLAS. Cargoes carried in bulk affect the
stability of the ship. If they are ore-concentrates, they tend to make the ship stiff and prone to
sinking very quickly, in the event of seawater entering the holds through a hole in the hull.
Other bulk cargoes have certain inherent characteristics which can make a ship unstable. If
grain becomes wet, it rapidly ferments, and increases in weight causing instability. Also, bulk
grain is prone to free surface effect which can cause serious stability problems. Bulk coal
without proper ventilation is liable to create an inflammable gas which may ignite or cause an
explosion. Bulk carriers have the worst record in terms of maritime casualties. There are also
cargoes that are classed as dangerous goods whether they are carried in bulk or in packaged
form. The marking, packaging, loading, stowage, carriage and discharge of such cargo is
regulated by SOLAS instruments, the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations and the
International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
Sinkings of ro-ro passenger ferries are also of grave concern. In the wake of disasters
such as the Herald of Free Enterprise, the Estonia and the Donna Paz, SOLAS regulations
pertaining to damage and intact stability have been reinforced and a safety management
regime has been introduced through the International Safety Management (ISM) Code which
imposes on shipowners and flag states added responsibility.
Seaworthiness is an integral part of maritime safety. It pertains largely to commercial
maritime law, mainly with regard to marine insurance contracts where seaworthiness is a
warranty the breach of which by the assured can deprive him of indemnification; and in
carriage contracts evidenced by bills of lading, or in charterparties where specific obligations
are imposed on the carrier to exercise due diligence to provide a seaworthy ship at the
commencement of the voyage. There is also the notion of statutory seaworthiness 63. The
maritime authorities in a port can prevent an unseaworthy ship from sailing until it is
seaworthy. Deficiency in safe manning or in safety equipment can render a ship unseaworthy.
By statute a term is implied in a seafarers employment contract that his vessel is seaworthy.
3.5

Wreck and Salvage

63

In United Kingdom legislation there exists as well the notion of an unsafe ship and a dangerously
unsafe ship. The latter expression arose out of the official enquiry on the Herald of Free Enterprise
disaster.

- 13 -

There are basically two components to the subject of wreck. One involves wreck as a
navigational hazard. The other involves wreck as property. Since wrecks are found in places
under state jurisdiction, it is in the public interest that the maritime administration takes steps
to preserve the property and prevent it from being destroyed or illegally appropriated to the
detriment of the owner or an assignee by subrogation or abandonment such as an insurer.
This is in addition to the public interest in the raising and removal of a wreck from a
navigable channel or fairway for navigational safety.
Salvage remuneration is subject to the triumvirate of customary law principles;
danger, voluntariness and success. The principle of "no cure no pay" has been embodied in
standard form salvage agreements such as Lloyd's Open Form (LOF) which provides for the
granting of the award by arbitration. The international law of salvage has for many years been
governed by convention codifying customary law. The most recent one is the International
Convention on Salvage, 1989. Its provisions are incorporated in LOF 2000, the latest version
of the form. A significant aspect of the Convention is the special compensation regime
applicable in cases of marine pollution which allows a salvor to recover reasonably incurred
expenses plus an uplift of a maximum of cent percent of his expenses for preventing or
minimizing pollution, even though the operation may not have been successful in terms of
ultimate preservation under a strict application of the "no cure no pay" principle. The House
of Lords decision in Semco Salvage and Marine Pte Ltd. v. Lancer Navigation Company
Ltd. 64, with which the salvage industry became dissatisfied, prompted the creation of the
Special Compensation P&I Clause (SCOPIC) incorporated in LOF 2000. A salvor can invoke
SCOPIC as an alternative to the special compensation regime of the Salvage Convention.
3.6

Towage

Towage operations are subject to contractual arrangements, usually under standard

forms. Some jurisdictions have found it necessary to legislate on towage to codify the case
law that has evolved. The issues involve terms to be implied in a contract, the master's
authority and duty to engage towage services if the ship is in danger, the beginning and
termination of a towage service, whether the towing vessel is the servant of the tow, liability
to third parties in the event of a collision and indemnity clauses. Salvage and towage often
overlap where assistance is offered and rendered in a situation of danger.
3.7

Pilotage

Pilotage services whether rendered by a private entity or a public authority are usually
pursuant to contract. The pilot has conduct of the vessel at the relevant time but the master
remains in command. Ships bridge log books therefore carry the notation vessel to masters
order and pilots advice. In most jurisdictions, the pilot is considered to be the servant of the
shipowner whether or not pilotage is compulsory and the shipowner is thus vicariously liable
in law to a third party for the pilot's fault or negligence in navigation and ship handling 65. In
some jurisdictions, this vicarious liability extends only to instances of voluntary pilotage 66. In

64

The Nagasaki Spirit [1997] 1 Lloyds Rep. 323 (H.L.)

65

E.g., the United Kingdom, Canada.

66

E.g., Indonesia.

- 14 -

other jurisdictions, the shipowner is never liable for the fault of a pilot 67. This is essentially a
matter of legal policy. In the United Kingdom, the so-called defence of compulsory pilotage
was abolished by the Pilotage Act of 1913 68. Under some pilotage legislation, a pilot or a
Pilotage Authority can be sued for a pilot's negligence, but the statutory limitations of
liability in each case are so low that a potential claimant would be inclined to sue the
shipowner in any event 69.
3.8

Carriage of Passengers

The carriage of passengers and their baggage by ship is particularly important in those
countries which have a significant passenger trade or ferry services. The international law on
this subject is contained in the Athens Convention on the Carriage of Passengers and Their
Luggage on Board Ships (PAL), 1974 The Convention has recently been amended through
the Protocol of 1996 which has, inter alia, raised the limits of liability.
3.9

Maritime Claims and Arrest of Ships

This subject is related in some respects to the provisions on maritime liens. The
international law on ship arrest is contained in the International Convention for the
Unification of Certain Rules Relating to the Arrest of Seagoing Ships, Brussels, 1952. Most
maritime countries are parties to this Convention. The Convention lists the types of maritime
claims for which a ship can be arrested under the Convention. A ship may be arrested within
the jurisdiction in respect of a maritime claim as defined, but not for any other type of claim.
The convention contains the concept of sister ship arrest. There are detailed procedural
requirements pertaining to posting of bail or other form of security that will allow the ship to
be released. The Convention has recently been revised one of the objectives of which was to
harmonize the international regime of ship arrest with the International Convention on
Maritime Liens and Mortgages, 1993. The fundamental objective of ship arrest is to provide a
claimant with security, particularly where the shipowner is not available to answer the claim
or has ceased to exist. In England and other common law jurisdictions, a ship is also arrested
for the purpose of founding jurisdiction in connection with the claim, which, of course, must
be a maritime claim.
3.10

Limitation and Division of Liability

Civil liability in maritime law usually arises out of contract or tort. Examples of the
former are ship sale and purchase contracts, mortgage contracts, carriage and affreightment
contracts including charter-parties and marine insurance contracts. Collision liability, damage
from oil pollution, personal injury claims of crew members or passengers and losses of
67

Maritime Law of Iraq. See The Waziristan, [1953] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 361. Under the Maritime Code of
Latvia, a shipowner is not liable for the fault of a pilot. Liability instead is imposed on the Office of the
Harbour Master which administers a liability fund into which individual pilots have to pay a prescribed
contribution. No personal civil liability attaches to a pilot.

68

See Christopher Hill, Maritime Law, 4th Edition, Lloyd's of London Press Ltd., 1995, at p. 519.

69

In the United Kingdom the limitation is 1000 plus the amount of the pilotage charge in the case of an
individual pilot. In the case of a Pilotage Authority it is 1000 times the number of authorized pilots
employed by the Authority at the date of the loss or damage. In Canada, the individual pilot's limitation
of liability is $ 1000 (See Pilotage Act s. 30 of Canada).

- 15 -

luggage and other personal property, groundings and damage to docks etc. fall within the
scope of tortious liability. In most instances, the liability and compensation regimes,
including the basis of liability, whether strict, absolute or fault based, are governed by
international conventions, often codified into national legislation. There may also be liability
regimes which are not covered by convention law, but may be provided for by statute, or may
be governed by custom or case law jurisprudence. The limits of compensation and rules
respecting the loss of entitlement to limit liability are also contained in the relevant
instrument or legislation.
In the international sphere, there are two conventions which deal with limitation of
liability for maritime claims in general, the 1957 Convention 70 and the 1976 Convention
(LLMC). The former deals only with the limitation of liability of a shipowner as defined in
the convention, whereas in the latter, the entitlement to limit liability in respect of maritime
claims extends to others. In the LLMC, the limits are substantially higher and the basis on
which the right to limit is lost, is different. These so-called global limitation conventions
provide regimes for claims which do not fall under specific subject-matter conventions, or
where they cannot otherwise be invoked. The LLMC has recently been amended through the
Protocol of 1996 which raises the limits significantly.
Limitation of liability, traditionally a concept peculiar to maritime law, works on the
principle that the quantum of the limit is tied to the size of the ship in terms of tonnage.
Historically, limitation was considered a privilege because the concept was an exception to
the general rule that a successful claimant was entitled to be recompensed by the wrongdoer
for the full amount of the loss. The claimant carried the burden of proving his case against the
defendant shipowner. Because limitation was considered a privilege rather than a right, the
onus for invoking limitation to the satisfaction of the court, rested on the shipowner. The
1957 Convention, which represents the law in many jurisdictions, allows a shipowner to
claim limitation only where the occurrence giving rise to the claim did not result from the
actual fault or privity of the shipowner 71. In determining whether a shipowner is barred from
claiming limitation because of actual fault or privity, courts apply the doctrine of the alter
ego. In other words, the shipowner is limitation-barred if the "ship's husband" is found to be
guilty of actual fault or privity. The application of this doctrine was aptly exemplified in
cases such as The Lady Gwendolen 72 and The Marion 73.
The limitation provisions in LLMC have imposed on the claimant the onus of
showing that the shipowner is not entitled to limitation. The test of actual fault or privity has
been replaced by the shipowner's "personal act or omission, committed with the intent to
cause such loss, or recklessly and with knowledge that such loss would probably result" being
in issue 74. This has arguably transformed limitation from a privilege to a right and has made
70

The forerunner of this Convention was the 1924 Limitation Convention which is still the law in some
States, ;e.g.,Cyprus.

71

Notably, the "actual fault or privity principle is contained as well in the Hague, Hague-Visby Rules and
the Civil Liability Convention of 1969.

72

[1965] P. 294.

73

[1984] A.C. 563.

74

Article 4 of LLMC 1976.

- 16 -

it virtually unbreakable; much to the satisfaction of the marine insurance industry which
ultimately has to indemnify the losses in most cases 75. Under LLMC limitation is not
applicable to claims for salvage and general average contribution and claims in respect of aircushioned vehicles and floating platforms. Limitation tonnage is defined as being equivalent
to the gross tonnage of the ship. A salvor's limitation is based on a fixed tonnage of 1500
tons.
3.11

Carriage of Goods by Sea

Carriage of goods by sea is a major subject of commercial maritime law. There are
three sets of international rules governing this subject, the Hague Rules, the Hague-Visby
Rules and the Hamburg Rules. The choice, of course, depends on national shipping policy
and is usually based on whether the country is predominantly a carrier or a shipper state.
Consideration is also given to which rules prevail in the states which are its major trading
partners. Carriage of goods by sea is basically a contractual matter and the contract of
carriage, in essence governs the liability regime as between the carrier and the shipper 76. The
contract is evidenced by the bill of lading which also serves as a document of title and a
receipt for the goods 77.
The Hague Rules were designed in 1924 to impose on the carrier the legal obligation
to provide a seaworthy ship at the commencement of the voyage and to carry the goods with
due care. A number of exceptions were provided such as perils of the sea, navigational error,
and fault in the management of the ship by the master or other servants of the shipowner. The
carrier could also escape liability if he could prove that the loss or damage occurred without
his actual fault or privity. Limitation of liability was provided on a "per package" basis. In
1968, the Rules were amended through a Protocol, mainly to deal with the "per package
limitation" problem arising from the growing phenomenon of containerization. The amended
version came to be known as the Hague-Visby Rules. In 1978, another set of Rules, namely,
the Hamburg Rules were developed 78. They represent a radical change from the
Hague/Hague-Visby scheme. The most significant feature is the nature of carrier liability,
which is based on carrier negligence with a reversal of onus. Live animals and deck cargo are
covered and the limitation amounts are higher. The Hamburg Rules are generally viewed as
being more favourable towards shippers and are therefore not popular with the traditional
maritime states which are mostly carrier countries. It is, however, in force; most of the parties
being developing countries.
With the advent and growth of containerization, multi-modal transportation of goods
is a phenomenon which is increasing in importance. The traditional form of bill of lading
75

Notably the limitation regime in the 1974 Athens Convention on Shipowners' Liability for Passengers
and their Luggage (PAL 1974) has an almost identical provision. The case law jurisprudence on this
new "reverse onus" provision is still in its infancy, although the alter ego doctrine is likely to continue
to apply.

76

In some jurisdictions, such as in Canada, the term "carriage of goods by water" is used as a large part of
their shipping is carried on in fresh water, the Great Lakes of North America.

77

Nowadays, a non-negotiable document known as the sea waybill is also used for which uniform rules
have been developed by the CMI in the absence of any international convention.

78

The United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods By Sea, 1978.

- 17 -

governed by the Hague/Hague-Visby or Hamburg Rules, is inadequate to deal with this

matter, as the Rules pertain to carriage of goods by sea only, whereas multi-modal or intermodal transport involves a multiplicity of carriers of different transportation modes. Various
mechanisms such as the "through bill of lading" and the seaway bill have been introduced to
deal with the multi-modal issue. The main enquiry revolves around the question of which
carrier is liable in the event of loss of or damage to the goods 79. The problem is compounded
by the fact that in segmented multimodal carriage, the shipper enters into a separate contract
with each carrier, whereby each such contract is governed by the relevant liability regime
applicable to that unimodal segment of the carriage 80. Each carrier acts as an agent of the
shipper vis a vis the successive carrier, but each carrier remains responsible as a principal to
the shipper.
Where multi-modal transportation is non-segmented the shipper hands over the goods
to a Combined or Multimodal Transport Operator (CTO or MTO) who is usually a freight
forwarder, and who acts as a principal vis a vis all the carriers under a single contract referred
to as a combined transport document (CTD) or a multimodal transport document (MTD).
Voluntary rules were developed by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) for
creating uniformity with respect to combined transport documents. But these rules have no
statutory force 81. Eventually in 1980, under the auspices of UNCTAD, the Multimodal
Convention was created which is not yet in force 82. The Convention contemplates the nonsegmented form of multimodal transport and closely resembles the Hamburg Rules in terms
of its liability regime.
3.12

Marine Insurance

The subject of marine insurance is another important aspect of commercial maritime

law. The marine insurance industry is mainly based in London, and the law and practice of
marine insurance is largely based on English legislation which represents a codification of the
law and practice which predates it. The English legislation, including its tenacity in terms of
statutory expression, its logical flow and encompassment of the whole subject-matter has
stood the test of time, but it is time for reform. Marine Insurance, like salvage and general
average, has a uniquely maritime heritage and is of great antiquity. It is the progenitor of
insurance law in other spheres as we know it today.
There are a number of basic principles in the law of marine insurance. It is essentially
a contract of indemnity and the assured must have an insurable interest in the property at risk
so that wagering and gaming is outside its legitimacy. The doctrine of uberrimae fidei is
germane to a marine insurance contract; so that non-disclosure of a material fact by either
79

Similar problems arise with respect to transhipment of goods, even if all segments are carriages by sea,
and the bill of lading in question has a "liberty to tranship" clause. See N.J.J. Gaskell, et al, Chorley &
Giles' Shipping Law, 8th Edition, London: Pitman Publishing, 1988 at p. 270.

80

For the sea segment, the regime would be governed by the Hague, Hague-Visby or Hamburg Rules; in
the cases of air and land segments, the regimes would usually be governed, respectively, by the
Warsaw Convention on Air Transport, and the CMR Convention for Road Transport or the CIM
Convention for Rail Transport.

81

See Chorley & Giles, supra, footnote 79 at pp. 271-273.

82

The United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods, 1980.

- 18 -

party can vitiate the contract. The doctrine of subrogation enables the insurer to step into the
shoes of the assured after indemnification and assert a right of action against the perpetrator
who caused the loss. In the event of an actual total loss, that is where the assured is
irretrievably deprived of the property, the insurer is liable to indemnify the loss to the insured
value of the property. Where there is a constructive total loss, i.e., where the cost of retrieval
far exceeds the post-retrieval value of the property, the assured issues a notice of
abandonment, which the insurer may or may not formally accept. If he accepts the notice,
after indemnifying the assured for a total loss, the insurer by virtue of the property being
abandoned in his favour, becomes its owner. Subrogation and abandonment in marine
insurance law resemble each other but are different in terms of legal effect. The former gives
a right of action and the latter confers a proprietary right.
The saving acts of salvage, general average and suing and labouring all have
implications regarding indemnifiability which are governed by relevant provisions of the
Marine Insurance Act. Other issues, contractual as well as statutory, involve warranties
express and implied, partial losses, particular average and premium. The clauses in different
kinds of policies are usually derived from standard forms known as Institute Clauses
produced by the Institute of London Underwriters. In shipping, besides hull and machinery
insurance there is also protection and indemnity cover obtainable through a vessel being
entered in a P&I Club. Third party liability and other forms of insurance such as pollution
damage cover are available through P&I insurance.

3.13

Marine Pollution

The subject of marine pollution is of prime importance in today's maritime world. The
problems relating to pollution of the seas are on-going, as evidenced by frequent disasters of
mammoth proportions; and the law appears to be continuously developing to cope with the
consequences. There is, at present, a whole body of law on the subject of ship-source marine
pollution governed largely by international conventions. The law stretches across a spectrum
from public international law, through international regulatory law to international private
law. In domestic spheres, there are penal laws as well and civil liability regimes, both
statutory and otherwise, which fall outside the scope of international conventions 83.
The public international law framework for the regime of vessel source pollution is
contained in Article 211 of UNCLOS. In essence, this Article requires flag states to adopt
laws for the prevention, reduction and control of marine pollution applicable to their ships,
and the laws must be consistent with generally accepted international rules and standards
established through the relevant competent international organization or general diplomatic

83

The Oil Pollution Act 1990 of the United States is a domestic statutory regime of liability and
compensation which has international implications. Canada has a statutory compensation fund known
as the Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund (SSOPF) which supplements the international compensation
regime. There is also the common law regime of civil liability for pollution damage based on strict
liability jurisprudence and the tort laws of negligence and public and private nuisance. See cases such
as Rylands v. Fletcher, [1968] L.R.3 (H.L.) 330; Esso Petroleum v. Southport Corporation, [1956]
A.C. 218 (H.L.); The Wagon Mound No. 1, [1961] A.C. 388 and The Wagon Mound No 2, [1966] 1
LL.L.R. 657. See R. v. City of Sault Saint Marie, [1978] 40 C.C.C. 353 (S.C.C.) for an elaborate
discussion of the penal law in Canada.

- 19 -

conference. The competent international organization in this case is the IMO 84. Another area
of public international law is Intervention Convention of 1969 and Protocol of 1973 85. The
convention allows a coastal state to intervene on the high seas in cases of imminent threat of
pollution to its coast or coastal interests. The International Convention on Prevention of
Pollution from Ships, 1973 and the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78) is the regulatory
convention dealing with ship generated pollution caused by operational discharges. The
measures prescribed are preventive in character. There are six Annexes that address six
different kinds of pollutants, namely, oil, noxious liquid substances, packaged harmful
substances, sewage, garbage and air pollution. The first two Annexes are compulsory while
the remainder are optional. All except Annexes IV and VI are in force. The Oil Pollution
Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention, 1990 (OPRC) is also a regulatory
convention; it has both a preventive as well as a remedial element. The regulation of dumping
of wastes at sea is governed by the London Convention, 1972 which has been revised by the
Protocol of 1996.
The subject of civil liability and compensation for oil pollution damage is one of
serious global concern. The international regime in this field is governed by the Civil
Liability Convention, 1992 (CLC) and the Fund Convention, 1992.86. The strict liability
regime of the CLC is supplemented by the compensation regime of the Fund Convention.
The CLC has its own limitation regime which is then topped up by the limitation provided
under the Fund Convention. In recent times the limitation amounts have undergone
considerable revision and a supplementary fund has now been put into place. A state cannot
be a party to the Fund Convention without being a party to CLC but it can opt to join the
CLC only. There is a mandatory requirement for insurance or other security up to the limit of
the owner's liability. There is also provision for direct action against the insurer in respect of
an owner's liability. Under the Fund Convention, the International Oil Pollution
Compensation Fund (IOPC Fund or the Fund) is a legal entity which can sue, be sued in its
own name, and intervene as a party in legal proceedings. The Director is the legal
representative of the Fund. Parties to the Convention are required to contribute to the Fund
according to the total quantity of oil imported annually. The amount and manner of
contribution is subject to periodic determination by the Assembly of the Fund under the
Convention. The Fund Convention provides for maximum limits of compensation which are
tied to the limitation amounts under the CLC. The Fund is also liable to indemmify a
shipowner in certain instances but may be exonerated under certain stipulated circumstances.
The Fund may also assume the obligation of a guarantor subject to the decision of the Fund
Assembly, and in such capacity would have a right of recovery against the shipowner for
whom it stands as a guarantor as well as rights of subrogation in relevant cases. There are
detailed prescription periods and provisions regarding the binding effect of judgements
84

All international instruments on marine pollution, except the London Convention of 1972 are IMO
Conventions.

85

International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution
Casualties, 1969 and Protocol Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by
Substances other than Oil, 1973.

86

International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969 as amended by the Protocol
of 1976; International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Oil Pollution
Damage, 1971. The 1984 Protocols to both these Conventions failed to go into force. New Protocols to
both conventions have since been adopted in 1992 to revise the limitation regime. They are now in
force.

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against the Fund. The Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention, (HNS) is designed
along lines similar to the CLC/Fund regime except that all matters are addressed through one
convention with a combined limitation regime including an HNS Fund.
3.14

Maritime Security

Maritime Security is a topic that is in the forefront of current concerns in the maritime
world. Some are of the view that security is an extension of safety and that it represents the
third pillar in the IMO mandate, the first two being maritime safety and protection of the
marine environment. With increasing piratical activity at sea and the threat of terrorism since
the Achille Lauro incident, maritime security has assumed a distinctive dimension. While
safety and security are both concerned with safety of life and property at sea, the concerns are
founded on different premises. Maritime safety concerns risks and dangers associated with
fortuity in a potentially hostile maritime environment and the ability of the ship and crew to
counter them. Maritime security is risk and danger created by deliberate and intentional
violent human intervention. The international law of piracy as codified in UNCLOS from
customary law is deficient and anomalous in view of the new regimes of maritime zones. The
Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation,
1991 (SUA) is inadequate and is currently under revision, but the process is painfully slow.
Meanwhile, recent events of terrorist activity have mobilised the international maritime
community, somewhat hastily, into adopting the International Ship and Port Facilities
Security (ISPS) Code. It is due to take effect in July 2004. The CMI has taken the initiative to
produce model national legislation to address piracy. But meaningful progress is dependent
on a revision of UNCLOS itself which is not about to happen. In summary, much work
remains to be done in this field to produce a regime that is result-oriented and economically
efficient and fair for the world maritime community.
4. INTERNATIONAL UNIFORMITY AND MARITIME CONVENTIONS

4.1

The Nature of International Legislation

The vast body of international law is derived from a number of sources, of which, custom and
treaties are the principal ones. In general, treaty law takes priority provided it is not
inconsistent with the peremptory norms of international law, known as jus cogens 87. Treaties
are basically contractual in nature and are binding only on states parties 88. In contrast,
customary law is binding on all states. According to Article 2 of the Vienna Convention on
the Law of Treaties, a treaty may be defined as "an agreement whereby two or more states
establish or seek to establish between themselves a relationship governed by international
law" 89. The term "treaty" may in practice be given one of a variety of titles, the most common
of which is the convention. Instruments such as "Protocols" and "Final Acts" are of a primary
legislative character; and "Regulations" appearing as Annexes to Conventions, e.g., the
MARPOL 73/78 Convention, have a secondary legislative character. A Protocol can take
87

J.G. Starke, Introduction to International Law, 10th Edition, London: Butterworths, 1989 at p. 54. For a
brief discussion on the doctrine of jus cogens, see pp. 55 to 57.

88

Ibid, at p. 44.

89

Ibid, at p. 436.

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different forms and is usually less formal than a convention proper. There are several other
instruments generated by international law-making bodies such as IMO which are not legally
binding but are persuasive. These are referred to as soft law or para-droit and include
Resolutions, Codes, Declarations, Recommendations, Guidelines, etc. The legal effect of
such an instrument depends on its subject matter and the manner in which it was adopted 90.
Codes associated with IMO conventions are increasingly becoming mandatory. Often, soft
law instruments are incorporated into national maritime legislation thereby converting them
into hard law.
The goals of regulatory law are different from those of private law. Regulatory
conventions such as SOLAS, MARPOL, LOADLINE, and COLREGS and their related
instruments purport to regulate maritime activities for the protection of the wider public
interest. For that reason they are relatively more universal in scope and acceptance, which is
evident from the number of state parties. When it comes to private law conventions, national
and private interests with economic and other implications are more at stake, with the result
that international rulemaking is fragmented. In the field of carriage of goods by sea, for
example, there are presently three sets of international rules which are in force, namely,
Hague Rules, Hague-Visby Rules and Hamburg Rules. The lack of uniformity in the
international law is obvious. There are also private law international instruments such as the
York-Antwerp Rules on General Average which are not conventions and therefore states are
not parties to them. The York-Antwerp Rules are incorporated as terms of private contractual
instruments, mainly marine insurance policies and charterparties.
4.2

International Maritime Law Institutions

There are basically four institutions that are involved in the rule-making process in
international maritime law. By far, the most important of these is the International Maritime
Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. The IMO is exclusively
concerned with non-military, international shipping, and is involved in the development of
regulatory and private maritime law conventions. As such, it has the most predominant role to
play in the unification of international maritime law which is evident from the number of
state parties to its major regulatory conventions, SOLAS, MARPOL, LOADLINE and
COLREGS. The theme or motto of the IMO is to promote "safer ships and cleaner seas" 91.
Even though it was international concern for maritime safety which provided the impetus for
the establishment of the IMO, originally as a consultative body, it is now, in effect, a quasilegislative body with an increasing interest in the protection of the seas from ship-source
pollution, and currently in maritime security as well 92. The private law conventions such as
the Salvage Convention and those dealing with limitation of liability, such as CLC,

90

Ibid, at p. 53.

91

See C.P. Srivastava, "Safer Ships and Cleaner Oceans: Thirty Years' Work of the International
Maritime Organization", [1989] Transport Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 45-57.

92

At the time of its establishment it was known as the International Maritime Consultative Organization
(IMCO). Article 2 of the Convention which created it provides that "the functions of the Organization
shall be consultative and advisory". See F.L. Wiswall, "Uniformity in Maritime Law: The Domestic
Impact of International Maritime Regulation", [1983] Tulane Law Review, Vol. 57, No. 5, p. 1208 at
pp. 1209-1210.

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NUCLEAR, PAL, LLMC, etc. deal with legal rights and civil liabilities within the sphere of
private law 93.
The technical conventions are developed within the Maritime Safety Committee or
the Marine Environment Protection Committee, as appropriate, according to the subject
matter of the particular convention. The private law conventions are developed within the
Legal Committee. By virtue of their technical nature and content, the regulatory conventions
are less prone to controversy and have thus been immensely successful in fostering
uniformity in international maritime law and practice. The private law conventions of IMO
have also, by and large, been instrumental in propagating uniformity. In some areas, such as
the regime of liability and compensation for oil pollution damage, conflicting national
interests in socio-economic concerns and their interactions with the prevailing market forces
of the maritime industry have sometimes hindered the development of a cogent and
internationally acceptable regime, but the efforts of the international maritime community
have remained concerted and relentless.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), another specialized agency of the
United Nations, with its headquarters in Geneva, also plays a prominent role in the
development of uniformity in international maritime law. Founded in 1919, the ILO has the
distinction of being the oldest of the specialized agencies and has been in existence as an
international body even before the League of Nations 94. As an inter-governmental
organization within the United Nations system, it is rather unique in that it has a tripartite
structure. Government, industry, as well as labour are all represented on national delegations;
thus, all these three sectors participate in the rule-making process. The Governing Body of
the Organization is its main organ and one of its advisory bodies is the Joint Maritime
Commission which is a bipartite body representing shipowners and seafarers. The
implementation of ILO instruments is not only achieved through national legislative action,
but in appropriate cases, is done through incorporation of the provisions into collective
agreements 95. This is not surprising since maritime labour law is of a hybrid type consisting
of a regulatory law element, as it is an important part of public socio-economic policy, as
well as a private law element because it is substantially contractual in nature.
The activities of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) are focused on the interests of developing countries. The former Committee on
Shipping of UNCTAD was concerned with international sea-borne trade and its economic
aspects. Since UNCTAD IV, that Committee has been dismantled; no maritime conventions
are concluded under the sole auspices of UNCTAD anymore. The recent International
Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages, 1993 was produced as a result of the joint
efforts of IMO and UNCTAD and UNCTAD was closely involved in the work which led to
the adoption of the Arrest Convention, 1999. Within the scope of its mandate, UNCTAD has
been instrumental in the adoption of the United Nations Convention on a Code of Conduct
93

International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage; Convention Relating to Civil
Liability in the Field of Maritime Carriage of Nuclear Material; Athens Convention Relating to the
Carriage of Passengers and Their Luggage by Sea, 1974; Convention on Limitation of Liability for
Maritime Claims, 1976.

94

See Wiswall, supra, footnote 92 at p. 1211, and in particular, note 7at that page.

95

M.A.R. Beg, "Legal Responsibilities of an International Employment Agency", unpublished paper

presented at an ILO Maritime Seminar.

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for Liner Conferences, 1974, the International Multimodal Transport of Goods, 1980,
Conditions for Registration of Ships, 1986, and Carriage of Goods by Sea, 1978, otherwise
known as the Hamburg Rules 96. Besides these conventions, UNCTAD has been active in
formulating model charterparty clauses, attempting to reform the law of general average and
formulating draft model legislation for marine insurance.
The CMI is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which ardently promotes the
unification of international maritime law and continues to play a pre-eminent role in the
development of rule-making instruments. It is by far the most renowned NGO in the maritime
law field and is also the oldest, founded in 1896. It is the international parent body of the
various national maritime law associations whose memberships consist of private maritime
lawyers. Prior to the establishment of the IMO, international maritime conventions were
almost always initiated through the aegis of the CMI. The approach of the CMI towards
uniformity has been to unify the substantive maritime law rather than to seek private
international law solutions 97.
Following its establishment, the IMO undertook the sponsorship of regulatory
maritime conventions. The private law conventions continued to be developed through the
CMI. In 1967, following the Torrey Canyon disaster, the Legal Committee of the IMO was
established. The CLC and the Intervention Convention were developed within the Legal
Committee, but the diplomatic conference for their adoption was convened in Brussels.
Gradually, the IMO through its Legal Committee took over the function of preparing draft
conventions on non-regulatory maritime matters which were hitherto carried out by the CMI.
The preparation of draft conventions pertaining to commercial maritime matters was partially
taken over by UNCTAD. However, as in the case of the Salvage Convention of 1989, the
CMI continued to take the first initiative and initial deliberations including the production of
the first draft of the convention took place within the CMI. This co-operation between the
CMI and the inter-governmental bodies such as the IMO and UNCTAD continues to bear
fruitful results in terms of the unification of international maritime law 98. The York-Antwerp
Rules on General Average is not an international convention but a CMI private law
instrument which has attained global status. It is an outstanding example of the CMI's
achievement in creating uniformity in international maritime law. In the same vein, the CMI
continues to develop international rules for voluntary adoption touching matters such as
laytime and demurrage, sea waybills and electronic transfer of rights to goods in transit 99.
The contribution of the CMI towards the creation of uniformity in international maritime law
and legislation is considerable and exemplary.
4.3

Implementation and Interpretation of Maritime Conventions

When a state becomes a party to a convention, by the process of ratification,

accession, adoption or acceptance, the legal effect of it is that the state becomes bound by the
96

It is noteworthy in this context that the final draft of the Hamburg Rules was prepared by the United
Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) whose headquarters are in Vienna.

97

Allan Philip, "Uniformity of Maritime Law through the Comite Maritime International", 1992 in World
Maritime University, Malm, Sweden, Course Materials.

98

For more details on the current role of the CMI, see ibid, at pp. 4-7.

99

Ibid, at pp. 13-16.

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convention and is therefore obliged to implement it by incorporation into its body of national
law. If the state fails to implement the convention, it is nevertheless subject to it vis a vis
other state parties, but it cannot enforce the convention against them, unless the convention
becomes part of the law of the land by whatever legal process is applicable in that state. The
implemented convention will likely be subjected to interpretation by national courts. In the
process of implementation of a convention due regard must be had to its interpretation.
It is a fundamental premise that the application and effect of international conventions
within the domestic legal order is governed by the domestic constitutional law, or other
supreme law of the land 100. In the monistic method of implementation, where it is so
provided in the constitutional law, an international convention can become part of the
domestic law simply as a consequence of its ratification or accession by the state. Virtually
no legislative action is required 101. The Constitution of the United States, provides that a
treaty, once it is ratified becomes part of the "... supreme law of the land, and all judges in
every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the
contrary notwithstanding" 102. In Belgium, France and the Netherlands as well, a convention
which has been accepted by the state and which has entered into force internationally,
automatically becomes part of the law of the land without the need for any incorporation
measures or legislative action 103. But in some countries, the convention must be promulgated
by official publication. The Spanish Civil Code provides that an international treaty cannot
apply directly in that jurisdiction unless it becomes part of the national law through
publication in the Official State Bulletin. The 1957 Convention on Limitation of Liability of
Owners of Sea-Going Ships, for example, was ratified by Spain in June 1959, but was
officially published in January 1971, when it became law in force in that country 104.
Aside from the fact that in countries such as the United States, Belgium, France and
the Netherlands, some form of approval by the Legislature is required, at least in respect of
certain kinds of treaties 105; very often, for the monistic method to be effective, the convention
must be one that is "self-executing" or of "direct effect or application" 106. This is true of
Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States 107. The questions of what is a self100

Francis G. Jacobs in Francis G. Jacobs and Shelly Roberts (Eds.), The Effect of Treaties in Domestic
Law, Vol. 7, London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1987; Introduction. p. xxiv.

101

Supra, footnote 1 at p. 3. However, not all treaties can be implemented by the monistic method.

102

Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States of America. See Francesco Berlingieri,
"The Present Status of International Maritime Law" in World Maritime University Course Materials,
1990 Edition at p. 110. See also Michael F. Sturley, "The Law of Treaties and Admiralty" in Benedict
on Admiralty, Vol.6, Matthew Bender, New York, 1993 in general, and in particular pp. 1-3 to 1-4.

103

P.K Mukherjee, Maritime Legislation, Malm: WMU Publications, 2002 at p. 127.

104

I. Arroyo, Convenios Internacionales y Derecho Interno, Annuario de Cerecho Maritimo, II, p. 24,
cited in Berlingieri, supra, footnote 102 at p. 115.

105

Supra, footnote 100 at Introduction pp. xxv-xxvi.

106

These terms are used interchangeably to mean the same thing. The term "self-executing" is used in the
United States; whereas in the Netherlands, the term "directly applicable" is used. See John H. Jackson
in supra, footnote 100, Ch. 8, at pp. 147-148; and Schermers, in supra, footnote 100, at p. 114.

107

See M. Maresceau, Ch. 1 at p. 16; Schermers, Ch. 6 at p. 114; and Jackson, Ch. 8 at pp. 144-148 in
supra, footnote 100.

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executing convention, and how that is to be determined are full of complexities. In general
terms, it is said that a convention which directly confers rights or imposes obligations on
individuals to which the State party is subject, is self-executing or directly applicable 108. In
Westmar Marine Services v. Heerema Marine Contractors 109, an American court held in
respect of the 1910 Salvage Convention that "(T)he Treaty is self-executing; it needs no
implementing legislation". The Hague Rules have also been considered to be self-executing
in the United States 110. In any event, the determination of whether or not a convention is selfexecuting is a matter for judicial interpretation 111. In the United States, a convention that is
not self-executing requires implementation by the legislature. This was confirmed in Foster
v. Nielsen 112, the leading U.S. Supreme Court decision on the subject.
In the dualistic system some form of legislative action is required for the
implementation of an international convention, following its ratification or accession. While
the dualistic system prevails predominantly in the United Kingdom and other countries of the
Commonwealth, particularly those that follow the common law system, there are several civil
law jurisdictions, such as Italy, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries which have adopted
the dualistic approach 113. In regard to Anglo-Canadian Law, Lord Atkin, speaking for the
Privy Council in the Labour Conventions Case 114, held [I]f the national executive, the
government of the day, decides to incur the obligations of a treaty which involve alteration of
the law, they have to run the risk of obtaining the assent of Parliament to the necessary statute
or statutes 115.
There are, of course, variations in the way the dualistic method is applied, not only
among jurisdictions which embrace this method, but also within the same jurisdiction. In
Germany and in Italy, a convention may be incorporated into the domestic legal domain
simply by a legislative act; i.e., by some form of enabling legislation, following which, it
becomes law in force in the jurisdiction 116. In Germany, federal legislation is enacted giving
the legislature's consent to the Convention, after which it becomes part of the law of the
land 117. In Italy, enabling legislation is enacted to provide that "full implementation is to be
given to the treaty from the date it enters into force for Italy." The text of the treaty
108

See supra, footnote 100 at Introduction p. xxvii and Jackson, ibid, at pp. 150-151.

109

621 F. Supp. 1135 (N.D. Cal. 1985).

110

Berlingieri, supra, footnote 102 at p. 112.

111

See ibid, at p. 110-111, where the author cites some American Cases as authorities; namely, Frolova v.
U.S.S.R., 761 F. 2d 270, 373 (7th Circ. 1985) and Diggs v. Richardson, 555 F. 2d 848, 851 (D.C. Cir.
1976). He also refers to Restatement (Second) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States, 154 (1)
(1965).

112

27 U.S. 253 (1829).

113

Supra, footnote 100 at p. xxvi. See also Berlingieri, supra, footnote 102 at p. 111.

114

A.G. for Canada v. A.G. for Ontario, [1937] A.C. 326.

115

Ibid, at pp. 347-348.

116

Supra, footnote 100 at p. xxvi.

117

Jochen A. Frowein, in supra, footnote 100, Ch. 4 at p. 63.

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instrument is then reproduced in a schedule to the legislation 118. The practice in the United
Kingdom and the Scandinavian countries is virtually identical. In these countries, a number
of alternative methods are used, one of which is similar to the practice in Italy. In the United
Kingdom, in some cases, an Act of Parliament may simply contain an enabling provision
giving effect to the Convention, with the text of the Convention appearing as a Schedule to
the Act. In The Morviken 119, Lord Diplock held in the context of the Hague-Visby Rules that... all those of them that are included in the Schedule, are to have the force of law in the
United Kingdom; they are to be treated as if they were part of directly enacted statute law 120.
5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
In this paper an overview has been presented of a highly distinctive and specialized
area of law. The attempt is no more than a birds eye view of a vast and complex subject.
Maritime law consists of numerous facets. It is a body of law that is at once international in
scope, is perpetually in motion and has a component corresponding to virtually every branch
of law conceivable on land simply because a shipboard community is basically a microcosm
of society ashore. The antiquity of maritime law and its doctrines and principles that have
withstood the test of time characterize its resilience.
The public and private law aspects of maritime law have been alluded to within the
context of its international character. The need for uniformity of substance and application
cannot therefore be overemphasized. The evolution of maritime law has been briefly
described in terms of its historical roots and chronological development, and its subject
matters have been presented in synoptic form. International conventions and treaty
instruments are at the heart of maritime law. An understanding of the manner in which
maritime conventions should be implemented and construed is important, and this has been
addressed in contextual detail.
While maritime law is steeped in tradition and antiquity, it is, at the same time,
organic and dynamic. As events unfold in the maritime world of our times, it is incumbent
upon lawmakers, jurists, seafarers and captains of maritime industries to respond
meaningfully to the needs and interests of contemporary shipping and maritime affairs
through innovative thinking and decisive actions.

118

G. Gaja, in supra, footnote 100, Ch. 5 at p. 89.

119

[1983] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 1.

120

Ibid, at p. 5.

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