Salvage & Wreck
In maritime law, salvage is the rescue of a ship or its cargo on navigable waters from a peril that, except for the rescuer’s assistance, would have led to the loss or destruction of the property.
In these circumstances, the salvor owes a duty to the owner of the vessel/property to carry out the salvage operations with due care, and whilst doing so, prevent or minimise damage to the environment. During this time, the master of the vessel is also obliged to co-operate fully with the salvor during the salvage operations.
In order for a salvor to conduct a successful salvage operation, the essential skills necessary include knowledge of marine operations, engineering, towing/rigging, welding/cutting, and emergency response protocols.
At Hawkins, we have a unique appreciation of the importance of this type of crisis management and the need for risk and cost mitigation throughout a salvage or wreck removal case. Furthermore, our experts have a firm understanding of the laws and regulations governing the industry, and are able to think quickly and make decisions under heavy commercial pressure.
WHY APPOINT A FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR?
We have the technical knowledge and experience to understand the nature of salvage operations, and to provide live advice to our clients either remotely or on-site. We have the flexibility to commit to overseeing salvage operations to completion and can discuss the sequence of events in a court of law should a case proceed to litigation
- We have an in-depth knowledge of the regulations and guidance that should be followed by technicians and engineers who are involved with salvage operations.
- We review working practices and Classification Society requirements to identify areas at high risk of a fault.
- We offer guidance and/or help you define and develop good working procedures and practices to minimise the risk of damage to the environment during salvage operations.
- We provide you with the answers you need to determine why an incident occurred and so assist in repudiation/cover decisions and fraud identification.
- Our experts are knowledgeable in a wide range of areas pertaining to salvage operations and can assess the various facets of salvage operations, meaning that you will probably only need to instruct one expert, rather than several.
- We support subrogation/recovery efforts.
- We help you to make decisions regarding where legal responsibilities and/or liabilities lie.
- We help you to defend wrongful claims.
- We produce reports suitable for Court and litigation.
- We provide consultancy advice to prevent similar events happening again in the future.
- If removing a risk entirely is unavoidable, we advise on steps to take to mitigate the risk and reduce the potential damage resulting from an incident.
- We advise on servicing, maintenance and repair regimes.
Examples of Typical cases
If you would like more information or to discuss a specific incident, you can contact us for a free consultation. The list below provides just a few examples of the type if incidents that we have investigated.
- Providing firefighting assistance.
- Refloating a vessel from a stranding.
- Offloading cargo or water to prevent foundering, or removing sound cargo from impending peril.
- Shoring, patching, and making any temporary repairs to correct structural, stability, or mechanical problems.
- Rescue towing of an incapacitated vessel to a safe haven.
- Preventing pollution.
HOW DOES HAWKINS INVESTIGATE ENGINEERING FAILURES AND LOSSES?
1
Consultation
We like to speak to you before we conduct any work, to establish how we can add any value to the salvage operations at hand. These discussions help us to understand your requirements, as well as determining how much information is already available. We are also happy to provide you with an estimate of the cost of overseeing salvage operations.
2
Inspection
If required and with your agreement, we will arrange to attend at the site of the salvage operations, so that we can assess the progress to date and plan the next appropriate steps. This will involve liaising with the Ship’s Master and any other relevant parties such as coastguard and environmental agencies.
3
Conclusion
Once our examination is complete, we will discuss our findings with you and prepare a report containing a detailed account of our input to the salvage operations, and where appropriate, further work or advice.
SPEAK TO ONE OF OUR EXPERTS
Principal Associate, Managing Director (Acoustics)
Email me
Related areas of expertise
Marine
Hawkins has established a highly qualified team of scientists and engineers who can provide assistance with a wide range of marine incidents ranging from fire and explosion investigations, cargo problems and advice on dangerous goods, through to materials failure analysis and corrosion on board.
Marine Engineering
The maritime and offshore engineering industry encompasses a wide range of disciplines and any incidents or losses can be complex in nature.
Marine Fires
Fire investigation is one of our core competencies and our investigators are experienced in dealing with a wide variety of incidents, ranging from small accommodation fires to major engine room fires to cargo fires and explosions. We have dealt with several high-profile shipping and/or cargo investigations including MSC Flaminia, Glory Trader, Diamond Highway, MOL Charisma and SSL Kolkata.
Marine Coating Failures
Marine coatings are used to protect the external surfaces of the ship in addition to the internal surfaces of the cargo holds/tanks, and are applied to protect the underlying steel from abrasion and corrosion.
Related Insights
- Insight
- Case Study
- Insight
