A Need to Examine the Effect of Seaworthiness on Seaport Safety

One of the pivotal concepts in Maritime Law is a ship’s seaworthiness. Not only its effect is not limited to one element of the shipping industry, but also affects Marine transport, Marine Insurance, Marine Pollution, Carriage of Goods by Sea, Liability, and all other respected bodies in shipping. The concept of seaworthiness has evolved over many years, but it is not clearly point to the exact coverage of seaworthiness in any particular stage of the ship voyage, especially while she is making her way through the fairways and channels to be finally alongside. The ship owner is obliged to provide a seaworthy ship which is the core in the carriage of goods by sea, included in charter parties, where the contract of carriage is between the ship owner and charterer. As seaworthiness is not usually defined in modern standard form charter parties, the meaning of the concept must be ascertained from cases being decided at common law. For this purpose, a large number of decisions of maritime courts were reviewed in order to know the main body of ideology of competent maritime courts to explain and interpret the concept of seaworthiness of a ship.As a result, it is important to analyze the position of the current law; the Common Law, the Hague/Hague-Visby Rules and Hamburg Rules, and the other related regulations, to assess the importance of this concept (As a duty), and how the courts dealt with it under the different types of carriage contracts. Furthermore, it would be important to assess whether the current law is sufficient to reflect the changes in the shipping industry in general, and especially after the introduction of the ISM and ISPS Codes which could considerably affect the carrier’s obligation; or if a desire for change in the law is needed to reflect the changes.