Merchant Ships' Seaworthiness: Law and Practice

The seaworthiness of merchant ships is essential for safety, pollution prevention, and the prevention of marine pollution. It is a complex concept that depends on the environment, context, and facts. This book summarizes existing literature on seaworthiness and provides an update on key books that are more than a decade old. It also offers more detail on specific aspects that are rarely discussed on their own, using case studies to illustrate how the laws that reflect private laws and national policy underpin those priorities are applied in practice. The book is written to meet the needs of lawyers, maritime professionals, and academics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 284 pages
Publication date: 20 February 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The seaworthiness of merchant ships is of paramount importance in ensuring the safety of life and property, as well as preventing marine pollution. It encompasses the fitness and readiness of a ship, encompassing its fundamental ability to sail safely to its destination. The standards of seaworthiness extend to various aspects of a ship, including the human element, physical structure, documentation, cargo worthiness, and more. This complex concept is one of the most intricate aspects of the maritime regulatory regime and takes various forms. However, it is important to note that seaworthiness is not an absolute concept but rather a relative one, dependent on the specific environment, context, and facts.

Over the years, with the introduction of new maritime regulations, the standards of seaworthiness have undergone significant changes. The existing literature on seaworthiness can be found in dedicated articles or book chapters. This book aims to consolidate all that information in one publication and provide an update on key books that are now more than a decade old. In addition, it offers more detailed insights into specific aspects that are often overlooked in isolation.

Each chapter of the book relies heavily on case studies to illustrate how the laws that reflect private laws and national policies underpinning these priorities are applied in practice. This structure facilitates an understanding of the challenges in the carriage of goods by sea, with a view to offering potential solutions.

The book is written with the needs of lawyers, maritime professionals, and students in mind. It provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the topic, making it an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the maritime industry.

Weight: 666g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032247380