Article 259 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 259 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الأول: التصادم البحري
The Article obliges the master to follow the rules for directing and navigating ships in the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and their amendments in force in the Kingdom.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يلتزم الربان بقواعد توجيه السفن وقيادتها, التي نصت عليها معاهدة القواعد الدولية لمنع التصادم في البحر لعام 1972م وتعديلاتها النافذة في المملكة.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 259 explained in plain English
This Article ties the conduct of the master in navigation to specific international rules, obliging him to follow the rules for directing and navigating ships provided in the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, and their amendments in force in the Kingdom.
The master, according to Article 1, is the person qualified to command the ship and responsible for managing it, and so this obligation falls on him directly.
Two things should be noted:
- The Article does not set out these rules in detail, but refers to the Convention itself, which must be consulted to learn their content.
- What counts is the amendments in force in the Kingdom, not any amendment that has not become effective there.
This Article stands alongside Article 258, which sets two years from the incident as the period after which an action for collision compensation is not heard, and Article 260, which obliges every master to rescue any person at sea in danger of being lost. The Article does not mention a specific penalty for breaching these rules. To assess a particular incident, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in maritime matters.
Practical example
The master of a Saudi cargo ship is steering his ship in a congested shipping lane in the Arabian Gulf. In directing and navigating it, he must follow the rules in the 1972 Convention on preventing collisions at sea and its amendments in force in the Kingdom.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 259 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
What rules must a ship's master follow to prevent collisions?
The rules for directing and navigating ships provided in the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and their amendments in force in the Kingdom.
Do all amendments to the Convention apply?
The Article refers to the amendments in force in the Kingdom.
More articles on Collision and Maritime Salvage
- Article 111
The master submits a report on unusual incidents to the Authority within 24 hours of arrival; the Authority verifies it and draws up a record, and the master may not unload the affected cargo before the report except in extreme necessity.
1- إذا طرأت أثناء الرحلة حوادث غير عادية تتعلق بالسفينة أو بالركاب أو بالشحنة وجب على الربان أن يعد تقريراً بذلك يقدمه إلى الهيئة خلال أربع وعشرين ساعة من وصول
- Article 254
The article specifies who bears compensation for a maritime collision according to its cause: fault of one ship, force majeure or an unknown cause, or common fault, and sets out the cases of joint liability toward third parties.
1- إذا حدث تصادم بسبب خطأ إحدى السفن التزمت السفينة المحدثة للضرر بالتعويض الذي يترتب على هذا التصادم. 2- إذا وقع التصادم بسبب قوة قاهرة، أو كان هناك شك في أسبا
- Article 255
The Article provides that the liability set out in the collision chapter also arises if the collision occurs through the pilot's fault, even if pilotage is compulsory, without prejudice to the general rules of liability.
تترتب المسؤولية المنصوص عليها في هذا الفصل, إذا وقع التصادم بخطأ المرشد، ولو كان الإرشاد إجباريًّا، وذلك مع عدم الإخلال بالقواعد العامة في المسؤولية.
- Article 256
The Article requires the master of each ship involved in a collision to help the other ships and those aboard without endangering his own ship, and to give them his ship's particulars; the shipowner is liable only on his express instructions.
1- على ربان كل سفينة من السفن التي حدث تصادم بينها أن يبادر إلى مساعدة السفن الأخرى وبحارتها وغيرهم من الأشخاص الموجودين عليها، وذلك بالقدر الذي لا يعرض سفينته
- Article 257
The Article lists the courts before which a claimant may bring a maritime collision action, and allows arbitration agreements provided it takes place within the area of one of these courts, as the claimant chooses.
1- للمدعي إقامة الدعوى الناشئة عن التصادم البحري أمام إحدى المحاكم الآتية: أ- المحكمة التي يقع في نطاق اختصاصها موطن المدعى عليه، أو مقر عمله الرئيس. ب- المحكمة
- Article 258
The Article bars hearing a collision compensation action after two years from the incident and a recourse action after one year from the death, and suspends the periods if the ship cannot be arrested and the claimant is Saudi or domiciled in the Kingdom.
1- لا تسمع الدعوى بالتعويض الناشئة عن التصادم بعد مضي سنتين من تاريخ وقوع الحادث. 2- لا تسمع دعوى الرجوع المنصوص عليها في الفقرة (5) من المادة (الرابعة والخمسين
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.