Article 288 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 288 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثالث: الخسارة البحرية
The article rules out joint liability among those obliged to contribute to the general average, but spreads the share of anyone who cannot pay among the others in proportion to what each owes.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا تضامن بين الملتزمين بالإسهام في الخسارة المشتركة، ومع ذلك إذا عجز أحدهم عن دفع نصيبه في هذه الخسارة وزع الجزء غير المدفوع على الآخرين بنسبة ما يستحق على كل منهم في الخسارة المشتركة.
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 288 explained in plain English
This article answers two questions:
First: are those obliged to contribute jointly liable? No. The rule is that there is no joint liability among those obliged to contribute to the general average. This means each of them is asked for his own share only, and none of them may be asked for the whole loss.
Second: what if one of them cannot pay? Here the article sets an exception: if one of them is unable to pay his share, the unpaid part is distributed among the others in proportion to what each of them owes in the general average.
The difference between the two is a fine one: no one is asked for the whole loss as under joint liability, but one party's inability to pay is not borne by the creditor alone; it is redistributed among the remaining obligors in proportion to their shares.
This rule ties in with Article 287, which makes general average debts privileged debts, and with Article 289, which sets the period after which a claim for contribution to the general average is not heard at two years from the ship's arrival at the port designated for its arrival or the port where the voyage was interrupted.
Practical example
A general average is divided among three cargo owners in proportions of 50%, 30% and 20%, and the owner of the 20% cannot pay. None of the other two is asked for the whole loss, but the unpaid part is distributed between the other two in proportion to what each owes.
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 288 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Are the parties to a general average jointly liable for payment?
There is no joint liability among those obliged to contribute to the general average.
What happens if one of them cannot pay his share?
The unpaid part is distributed among the others in proportion to what each of them owes in the general average.
More articles on General Average
- Article 202
Freight is payable for goods that the master decides to throw into the sea or sacrifice to save the ship or the cargo, subject to the general average provisions.
تستحق أجرة النقل عن البضائع التي يقرر الربان إلقاءها في البحر أو التضحية بها بأي صورة أخرى لإنقاذ السفينة أو الشحنة، مع مراعاة أحكام الخسائر البحرية المشتركة ال
- Article 271
The Article provides that marine loss is governed first by the parties' agreement, then by this chapter's provisions, then by maritime custom where there is neither agreement nor provision.
تسري على الخسارة البحرية التي لم يرد في شأنها اتفاق خاص بين ذوي الشأن؛ الأحكام المنصوص عليها في هذا الفصل, فإن لم يكن هناك اتفاق أو نص في هذا الفصل فتطبق القواع
- Article 272
The Article divides marine loss into joint and particular, presumes a loss is particular unless the person claiming it is joint proves otherwise, and places particular loss on the owner of the damaged thing or whoever bore the expenses, with a right of recourse.
1- تكون الخسارة البحرية إما مشتركة وإما خاصة. 2- يفترض أن الخسارة خاصة, وعلى من يدعي أن الخسارة مشتركة إثبات ذلك. 3- يتحمل الخسارة البحرية الخاصة مالك الشيء الذ
- Article 273
The Article limits what is accepted in joint loss to physical damage to the ship or cargo and sums spent on them arising directly from the master's sacrifice or expenses, excluding damage from delay and indirect damage.
لا تقبل في الخسارة المشتركة إلاَّ الأضرار المادية التي تصيب السفينة أو البضائع الموجودة عليها, والمبالغ التي تنفق من أجلها، بشرط أن تكون الأضرار أو المبالغ ناشئ
- Article 274
The Article provides that a loss remains joint even if the incident that caused it occurred through the fault of one of the parties concerned in the voyage, with the others' right of recourse against the party at fault preserved.
تعد الخسارة مشتركة حتى لو وقع الحادث الذي نتجت عنه بخطأ أحد ذوي الشأن في الرحلة، وذلك دون إخلال بحق ذوي الشأن الآخرين في الرجوع على من صدر منه الخطأ.
- Article 275
The Article treats as joint loss expenses incurred in place of other expenses that would have been accepted in the loss had they been incurred, provided they do not exceed the expenses not incurred.
تعد خسارة مشتركة المصروفات التي أنفقت بدلاً من مصروفات أخرى كانت تقبل في الخسارة لو أنها أنفقت, بشرط ألاَّ تجاوز المصروفات التي لم تنفق.
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.