Maritime Lien - Characteristics of Maritime Lien

Characteristics of Maritime Lien

The Characteristics of maritime lien are as follows:

• Wages of the ship’s master and crew
• Salvage operations
• General average claims
• Claims for the breach of a charter party
• Preferred ship mortgages
• Claims under maritime contracts for repairs, supplies, towage, pilotage and a wide variety of other “necessaries”
• Claims for maritime torts including personal injury and death, and collision claims
• Claims for the damage or loss of cargo
• Claim by the carrier of cargo for unpaid freight and demurrage
• Pollution claims

Although there is a list recognized by the admiralty jurisdiction, the definitions and criteria are not the same under the maritime law of differing jurisdictions. For example, bunker suppliers are not protected by maritime lien under UK law. However the supplier of bunker goods has the right of lien in the US.