Maritime Law and the Law of the Sea
Maritime law portal: UNCLOS zones, admiralty jurisdiction and arrest, carriage regimes, limitation of liability, salvage, general average and marine insurance.
This portal covers the private and public law of shipping: UNCLOS maritime zones and navigational rights, admiralty jurisdiction and ship arrest, the carriage regimes (Hague, Hague-Visby, Hamburg, Rotterdam), limitation of liability, salvage and general average, collision and pollution liability, marine insurance and P&I, and the leading judgments.
The core texts are UNCLOS 1982, the carriage conventions, the LLMC 1976 and its 1996 Protocol, the Salvage Convention 1989, the CLC and Fund Conventions for oil pollution damage, and the York-Antwerp Rules for general average. Judgments are cited by name, court and year.
Standard-form charter parties as commercial instruments belong to Commercial Shipping, Chartering and Finance; the technical conventions belong to Regulation, Conventions and Class.
Start here
- UNCLOS overview for shipping
UNCLOS, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, defines maritime zones, flag state duties, innocent passage.
- Hague-Visby Rules: bills of lading carrier liability framework
Hague Rules 1924, Visby Protocol 1968 and SDR Protocol 1979: the Article III seaworthiness duty, the Article IV defences, and the 666.67 SDR package limit.
- LLMC: Convention on Limitation of Maritime Claims
LLMC 1976, 1996 Protocol, 2012 Amendments: SDR-per-tonne caps for personal injury and property, near-unbreakable Article 4 conduct test.
- General Average and York-Antwerp Rules
A comprehensive guide to general average, the historical lex Rhodia, the York-Antwerp Rules from 1974 through 2016, GA adjustment, security.
- Salvage Convention 1989: Article 13, 14, SCOPIC
The 1989 Salvage Convention: no-cure-no-pay Article 13, environmental safety-net Article 14, and the SCOPIC contractual clause in LOF practice.
- P&I Clubs and the International Group
A comprehensive guide to Protection and Indemnity Clubs, the International Group's pooling and reinsurance arrangements, club rules, common cover.
- Maritime Lien and Ship Arrest
A maritime lien attaches to a ship by operation of law and is enforced by arrest and an action in rem in admiralty.
- Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention 2007 (WRC)
The Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention 2007 makes the registered owner strictly liable to locate, mark and remove hazardous wrecks, with insurance from 300 GT.
All articles in this portal
21 articles, plus 166 in preparation.
- Antarctic Treaty 1959: Articles, Claims and Ship Law
- Bunkers Convention 2001: civil liability for bunker oil
- Cargo Insurance and Institute Cargo Clauses
- CLC 1992: civil liability for oil pollution damage
- General Average and York-Antwerp Rules
- Hague-Visby Rules: bills of lading carrier liability framework
- HNS Convention 2010: liability for hazardous substances
- Hull and Machinery Insurance
- Knock-for-Knock Indemnity in Marine Contracts
- Letter of Indemnity in Shipping: LOI Guide
- LLMC: Convention on Limitation of Maritime Claims
- Loss of Hire Insurance
- Madrid Protocol 1991: Antarctic Environmental Protection
- Marine Cargo Damage Investigation
- Maritime Lien and Ship Arrest
- Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention 2007 (WRC)
- P&I Clubs and the International Group
- Salvage Convention 1989: Article 13, 14, SCOPIC
- Towage and Salvage Operations
- UNCLOS overview for shipping
- War Risks Insurance: Marine Cover, JWC Areas and AP