Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Pan-American Conference of Naval Engineering

COPINAVAL 2017: Proceedings of the 25th Pan-American Conference of Naval Engineering—COPINAVAL pp 439–449Cite as

Seaworthiness and Major Accidents at Sea—An International Perspective

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

  • 489 Accesses

Abstract

This study gives an overview of the international understanding of “seaworthiness,” both in contracts of carriage and in charterparties. The obligation to provide a seaworthy ship is of great importance in all contracts of carriage that are governed by the Hague or the Hague–Visby Rules, and presents a duty that cannot be derogated from. The study considers a number of aspects, namely the required condition of the vessel, the necessary standard of care in ensuring the seaworthiness of the vessel, the point in time in which seaworthiness is assessed, and the question if fault or negligence of third parties can be attributed to the person in charge of the vessel. Precedents on these aspects from different countries are compared in order to assess whether there is international uniformity in the understanding of the term. In each case, a comparison is drawn between the provisions of the HVR and the law applicable to charterparties, which is usually governed by standard contracts rather than mandatory international law.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Steel and Craig v. The State Line Steamship Company (1877) 4 R. (H.L.) 103, 105

    Google Scholar 

  2. The “Silviaˮ (1898) 171 U.S. 462

    Google Scholar 

  3. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 21.04.1975, II ZR 164/13; 15.10.1979, II ZR 80/77 (“Mannyˮ) (both with regard to inland waterway vessels); 20.02.1995, II ZR 60/94

    Google Scholar 

  4. Explicitly confirmed to cause unseaworthiness under US law: Morrisey v. SSA & J. Faith, 252 F. Supp. 54 (N.D. Ohio 1965)

    Google Scholar 

  5. The French Cour de Cassation for instance held that the handling of a cargo of fuel oil required permanent surveillance, [1951] 2 Gazette du Palais 225 (“Paraskevopoulosˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  6. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 20.02.1995, II ZR 60/94

    Google Scholar 

  7. Steel and Craig v. The State Line Steamship Company (1877) 4 R. (H.L.) 103, 111: “That is generally expressed by saying that it shall be seaworthy […] not merely that they should do their best to make the ship fit, but that the ship should really be fit”

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kopitoff v. Wilson 1 Q.B.D. 377, 383

    Google Scholar 

  9. FC Bradley & Sons v Federal Steam Navigation Co. Ltd (1927) 27 Ll. L. Rep. 395, 396

    Google Scholar 

  10. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 11.03.1974, II ZR 45/73 (“Neuwardersandˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Suggested in Golden Fleece Maritime Inc. v. ST Shipping and Transport (The “Elli” and the “Frixos”) [2008] EWCH Civ. 584, even though the case concerned a charterparty and was decided on a different provision

    Google Scholar 

  12. Papera Traders Co. Ltd. & Others v. Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. Ltd (The “Eurasian Dream”) [2002] EWHC 118 (Comm), para. 143

    Google Scholar 

  13. Union of India v NV Reederij Amsterdam (The “Amstelslotˮ) [1963] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 223

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rechtbank van Koophandel te Gent, 21.05.1996, European Transport Law 1996, 688 (“Adrianoˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Higher Regional Court of Hamburg, 02.03.2017, 6 U 86/16 (“MOL Comfortˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  16. American Law: Bernstein Co. v MS “Titaniaˮ A.M.C. 2040, 2044 (E.D. Louisana 1955); German Law: German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof) 15.10.1979, II ZR 80/77 (“Mannyˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Lefebvre, G.: L’obligation de navigabilité et le transport maritime sous connaissement. Les cahiers de droit 31(1), 81–123, 100 (1990), footnote 69

    Google Scholar 

  18. Maxine Footwear Co. Ltd v. Canadian Government Merchant Marine Ltd. [1959] A.C. 589, 603

    Google Scholar 

  19. Giertsen v. Turnbull, 1908 S.C. 1101

    Google Scholar 

  20. [1959] A.C. 589

    Google Scholar 

  21. Union Carbide & Carbon Corp v. The “Walter Raleighˮ et al., 109 F. Supp. 781, 792 (S.D. N.Y. 1951)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Regional Court of Hamburg (Landgericht), 19.04.2016, 411 HKO 99/14 (“MOL Comfortˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  23. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 14.12.1972, II ZR 88/71

    Google Scholar 

  24. Middleton & Co. (Canada) Limited v. Ocean D.S.S. Corp., 137 F.2d 619 (2 Cir. 1943)

    Google Scholar 

  25. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 14.12.1972, II ZR 88/71

    Google Scholar 

  26. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 17.01.1974, II ZR 172/72, regarding a vessel undertaking a voyage in the Baltic in stormy weather with unsecured hatch covers. The means to secure them were on board but the master was found to have consciously decided not to use them, because he trusted in a favourable weather forecast.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Higher Regional Court of Hamburg (Oberlandesgericht), 20.06.2006, 6 U 222/05 (“Cap Triunfoˮ)

    Google Scholar 

  28. The “Makedonia” [1962] P. 190, 195

    Google Scholar 

  29. Dupeyre v. The Western Marine & Fire Insurance Co., 41 (2) Louisiana Reports, 457, 460 (S.C. Louisiana 1843)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Riverstone Meat Co. v. Lancashire Shipping Co. (The“Muncaster Castleˮ) [1961] A.C. 807

    Google Scholar 

  31. General Motors Corp. v. The “Olanchoˮ et al., 115 F.Supp. 107 (S.D. N.Y. 1953), p. 115

    Google Scholar 

  32. German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof), 28.06.1971, II ZR 66/69

    Google Scholar 

  33. [2000] C.L.C. 1376, 1388

    Google Scholar 

  34. American Linseed Co. v. United States, 40 F.2d 657 (E.D. N.Y 1930)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Rechtbank van Koophandel of Antwerp, 18.05.1994, (1995) European Transport Law 616

    Google Scholar 

  36. Fireman’s Funds Insurance Companies v The “Vignesˮ, 794 F.2d 1552 (11th Cir. 1986)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Suggested by French courts: Cour d’Appel de Rennes, 13.06.1985, (1986) DMF 625 (“Gogofrioˮ); Cour d’Appel de Paris, 19.06.1959, (1960) DMF 86 (“Merkuriusˮ), but the presumption was considered rebutted in both cases.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lebuhn & Puchta, Am Sandtorpark 2, 20457, Hamburg, Germany

    Sarah Fiona Gahlen

Authors
  1. Sarah Fiona Gahlen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Fiona Gahlen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technological University of Panama, Panama City, Panama

    Adán Vega Sáenz

  2. Federal Fluminense University, Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Newton Narciso Pereira

  3. Escola Politécnica Superior, Universidade da Coruña, Ferrol, A Coruña, Spain

    Luis Manuel Carral Couce

  4. Escola Politécnica Superior, Universidade da Coruña, Ferrol, A Coruña, Spain

    José Angel Fraguela Formoso

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Gahlen, S.F. (2019). Seaworthiness and Major Accidents at Sea—An International Perspective. In: Vega Sáenz, A., Pereira, N., Carral Couce, L., Fraguela Formoso, J. (eds) Proceedings of the 25th Pan-American Conference of Naval Engineering—COPINAVAL. COPINAVAL 2017. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89812-4_38

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89812-4_38

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-89811-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-89812-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation