Article 264 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 264 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثاني: الإنقاذ البحري
The Article sets three cases where no salvage reward or related expenses are due: express reasonable refusal by the ship, salvage of mail, and a tug's assistance to the ship in tow except for exceptional services.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تستحق أي مكافأة للإنقاذ البحري أو النفقات التابعة له في الحالات الآتية:
1- إذا كانت السفينة التي قدمت لها أعمال الإنقاذ البحري قد رفضت تدخل السفينة المقدمة للخدمة صراحة ولسبب معقول.
2- إنقاذ رسائل البريد أيًّا كان نوعها.
3- المساعدة التي تقدمها السفينة القاطرة للسفينة المقطورة, أو للبضائع, أو الأشخاص الموجودين على ظهرها, إلاَّ إذا قامت بخدمات استثنائية لا تدخل عادة في عقد القطر.
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 264 explained in plain English
This Article excepts cases in which no marine salvage reward and no related expenses are due:
- Refusal by the salvaged ship: if the ship to which the salvage operations were provided expressly and for a reasonable cause refused the intervention of the ship offering the service. The refusal must be both express and for a reasonable cause.
- Mail: salvaging mail of whatever kind gives no right to a reward.
- Towage: the assistance provided by the tug to the ship in tow or to the goods or persons on board earns no reward, unless it performed exceptional services not ordinarily included in the towage contract.
The logic of the third case is that the tug receives its pay under the towage contract, so it is not entitled to an additional reward for what is ordinarily included in it.
These cases are an exception to entitlement to the reward, which Article 263 provides exists even if the ships are owned by one person. As for rescuing persons at sea, Article 265 regulates its reward, which the court sets in case of disagreement. To know whether a particular service is exceptional, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in maritime matters.
Practical example
A tug was towing a ship to the port of Jeddah under a towage contract, and a severe storm forced the tug into salvage operations not ordinarily included in a towage contract, such as pulling out sailors who fell into the sea. Here the tug may be entitled to a reward, whereas ordinary agreed towing earns no reward.
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 264 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Is a salvor entitled to a reward if the ship refused the help?
No reward or expenses are due if the ship expressly and for a reasonable cause refused the intervention of the ship offering the service.
Is a towing ship entitled to a salvage reward?
Not for its assistance to the ship in tow or what is on it, unless it performed exceptional services not ordinarily included in the towage contract.
Is someone who salvages mail rewarded?
No. No reward is due for salvaging mail of whatever kind.
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.