Article 267 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 267 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثاني: الإنقاذ البحري
The Article sets ten bases the court considers in determining the salvage reward, including the value of what was saved, the danger, the duration, expenses, and efforts to prevent environmental damage.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تراعي المحكمة في تحديد المكافأة الأسس الآتية:
1- قيمة السفينة والممتلكات الأخرى التي أنقذت وأجرة النقل في ميناء الوصول.
2- المهارات والمجهودات التي بذلت في منع الضرر البيئي أو تقليله.
3- الخطر الذي كان يحيق بالسفينة التي أُنقذت.
4- المدة المستغرقة للإنقاذ.
5- المصروفات وأجور الطاقم الإضافية بسبب جهودهم في الإنقاذ.
6- الأضرار المادية التي لحقت بالسفينة المشاركة في الإنقاذ والأضرار البدنية التي لحقت بالطاقم.
7- أخطار المسؤولية التي تعرض لها المنقذون قِبَل الغير أو قِبَل الشاحنين بسبب الإنقاذ.
8- قيمة الأدوات التي استعملها المنقذون.
9- نوع الخدمة التي خصصت السفينة لها (سفينة تجارية، أم سفينة مخصصة لعمليات المساعدة والإنقاذ).
10- المهارات والمجهودات التي بذلت لإنقاذ الأشخاص والسفينة والممتلكات الأخرى.
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 267 explained in plain English
This Article sets out the criteria the court considers when it determines the marine salvage reward, which are:
- the value of the ship and other property saved, and the freight at the port of arrival.
- the skills and efforts made in preventing or reducing environmental damage.
- the danger that threatened the ship that was saved.
- the time taken by the salvage.
- the expenses and the additional crew wages due to their salvage efforts.
- the material damage suffered by the ship taking part in the salvage, and the bodily injuries suffered by the crew.
- the liability risks to which the salvors were exposed toward third parties or shippers because of the salvage.
- the value of the equipment the salvors used.
- the type of service for which the ship was assigned: commercial, or assigned to assistance and salvage.
- the skills and efforts made to save persons, the ship, and other property.
The Article does not give a weight to each criterion or an order among them; this is left to the court's assessment in light of the circumstances of each case. These bases are linked to Article 266, which allows the court to annul or amend a salvage agreement if the reward is not proportionate to the service, and to Article 268, which allows it to reduce or cancel the reward if the salvors committed faults that made the salvage necessary, or thefts or fraud.
Practical example
A ship specialized in salvage rescued a stranded tanker near Yanbu over three days, suffered damage, and prevented an oil leak. If there is a dispute over the reward, the court considers the value of the tanker and its cargo, the seriousness of the danger, the duration of the operation, the salvor's expenses and damage, its efforts to prevent environmental damage, and the fact that the ship is assigned to salvage.
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 267 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
How does the court determine the marine salvage reward?
It considers bases including the value of the ship and property saved and the freight, the danger, the duration of the salvage, the expenses, the damage suffered by the salvors, and their efforts to prevent environmental damage.
Does it matter that the salvaging ship is assigned to salvage?
Yes. One of the bases the court considers is the type of service for which the ship was assigned, commercial or assigned to assistance and salvage operations.
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.