GARD GUIDANCE ON MARITIME CLAIMS AND INSURANCE

The incidents occurring at sea are normally very complex; moreover, they are complicated and consuming much time. Such maritime incidents happen without any prior warning and therefore people on board shall be able to make decisions quick enough as their actions have a direct impact on the subsequent handling of any incident. This, in turn, will affect the merits of the associated liabilities and claims.

The officers and crew members of the vessels are people who are affected in the first turn, together with the shore-based personnel considered responsible for the emergency response. Though the members of the team may possess different practical experience, they all need to step in and get the situation under control. The content of this guidebook issued by the GARD is divided in four major sections. The first section provides information about the categories of claims including bunker and cargo claims, collision and people claims, general average and pollution claims, dangerous goods and FFO claims and others - literally all of them.

Three other sections of the book cover safe ports claims such as salvage, towage, and wreck removal claims and also addresses the limitation of liability, frustration and other aspects. Two remaining sections deal with the principles and structure of the insurance, and claims management. In short, this is an excellent training and reference tool.