Marine casualty investigation
How a flag state investigates a marine casualty under the IMO Casualty Investigation Code, and how that relates to a coastal state inquiry.
Marine casualty investigation under the International Maritime Organization Casualty Investigation Code is a safety inquiry, not a liability proceeding. A report produced under the Code says so on its face, and its findings are directed at preventing recurrence rather than at apportioning blame between parties.
The flag state of the ship is normally the marine safety investigating state, which is why a grounding in one country waters is often investigated and published by another. A coastal or canal authority may run its own inquiry in parallel for its own purposes, and the two need not agree in emphasis even when they agree on the facts.
The full article will cover the Code and its obligations, who investigates and when, the difference between a safety investigation and a liability or criminal proceeding, the substantially interested state mechanism, the reporting to the IMO casualty module, and how to read a published report.