The need for specific legal arrangements governing ships in distress and places of refuge is one of the most topical problems in both public and private maritime law today.
The headline-grabbing shipping disasters involving the loss of the Erika (1999) and the Prestige (2002) attracted the attention of the IMO, the Comité Maritime International, the European Union, national maritime authorities around the globe and the maritime industry in general. The impact of pollution on local economies and the environment has attracted much public interest.
Places of Refuge provides clarity on:
This book serves as an authoritative source of current international law in this field.