Article 292 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 292 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الرابع: التحقيق في الحوادث البحرية
The article provides that the competent authority forms special committees to investigate maritime accidents, taking the legal and technical aspects into account in forming them.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تشكل الجهة المختصة لجاناً خاصة للتحقيق في الحوادث البحرية، يراعى في تشكيلها الجوانب القانونية والفنية.
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 292 explained in plain English
This article identifies the body that carries out the investigation of maritime accidents, providing that the competent authority forms special committees for this purpose.
The condition the article sets for forming these committees is that both the legal and the technical aspects are taken into account. The reason is clear: a maritime accident calls for a technical understanding of navigation, ships and equipment, and a legal understanding of responsibilities and obligations, and neither is enough without the other. Note that the text describes these committees as special to the investigation of maritime accidents; they are dedicated to this purpose.
The article does not state:
- The number of committee members.
- Their qualifications specifically.
- The committees' working procedures or the effect of what they conclude.
These details are not addressed by the article. This article is linked to Article 291, which requires the competent authority to conduct an investigation, on a written request from any state, into violations of the rules on preventing pollution of the marine environment attributed to a Saudi ship in that state's maritime zones.
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 292 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Who investigates maritime accidents?
The competent authority forms special committees to investigate maritime accidents.
What is taken into account in forming maritime investigation committees?
The legal and technical aspects are taken into account in forming them.
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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.