Salvage Awards on the Somali Coast: Who Pays for Public and Private Rescue Efforts in Piracy Crises?

24 Pages Posted: 6 Sep 2010

Abstract

This paper, a contribution to the "Troubled Waters: Combating Modern Piracy with the Rule of Law" symposium, explores the question of who pays for rescue efforts associated with maritime piracy. The paper explores the availability of admiralty law's salvage awards to governmental and non-governmental actors who intervene to rescue vessels and crew from pirates. Such awards provide an unusual incentive to rescue, traditionally unavailable for land-based rescue, but may raise complicated questions of policy and international law. The paper concludes by comparing salvage awards to a recent trend in American states to adopt "Search and Rescue" expense statutes allowing governments to charge those rescued from land-based wilderness perils for the costs associated with intervention.

Suggested Citation

Rapp, Geoffrey Christopher, Salvage Awards on the Somali Coast: Who Pays for Public and Private Rescue Efforts in Piracy Crises?. American University Law Review, Vol. 59, p. 1399, 2010, University of Toledo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2010-19, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1672749

Geoffrey Christopher Rapp (Contact Author)

University of Toledo College of Law ( email )

2801 W. Bancroft Street
Toledo, OH 43606
United States

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