Keith Harper, Master Mariner Solicitor Consultant at Tatham & Co, chaired the Management and Prevention of Containership Fires seminar which took place on 6th December in London. This seminar was part of the 22nd Salvage and Wreck Conference.   2019 saw an unprecedented number of container fires incidents. On average a fire broke out every week, […]

This article looks at the pitfalls of negotiating a settlement and how best to increase your chances of avoiding being ordered to pay your opponent’s costs. Sometimes resort to the courts or arbitration is unavoidable. Fortunately for clients’ pockets, and a solicitor’s blood pressure, this is quite a rare event. One factor that encourages parties […]

Salvors prefer rich pickings. Where, however, a ship has a low damaged value, and where there is no valuable cargo on board that can be saved, there is little to incentivise a salvor to undertake a rescue operation. In the past, if the vessel grounded on or sank off the more remote shorelines of the […]

This article argues that over-reliance on the ability of a tug and its crew to be able to prevent the vessel from capsizing is common to many incidents. Girting – Communication is vital I have not been on board a girting tug, nor want to be. I do know that when a yacht broaches in high […]