Article 51 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 51 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثاني: حقوق الامتياز على السفينة
The article sets the ranking of liens for a single voyage in the order of Article 46, with proportional sharing within one paragraph, reverse chronological order for paragraphs (4) and (6), and one date for rights arising from one incident.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- تُرتب حقوق الامتياز المتعلقة برحلة واحدة وفقاً للترتيب الوارد في المادة (السادسة والأربعين) من النظام.
2- تكون للحقوق المذكورة في كل فقرة من المادة (السادسة والأربعين) مرتبة واحدة، وتشترك في التوزيع بنسبة قيمة كل منها.
3- تُرتب الحقوق الواردة في الفقرتين (4) و(6) من المادة (السادسة والأربعين) بالنسبة إلى كل فقرة على حدة وفقًا للترتيب العكسي لتاريخ نشوئها.
4- تُعد الحقوق المتعلقة بحادث واحد ناشئة في تاريخ واحد.
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 51 explained in plain English
This article answers the question: if privileged creditors compete over a ship, who comes first?
1. Ranking between paragraphs: liens relating to a single voyage rank in the order of Article 46:
- Court costs of preserving the ship, selling it and distributing its price.
- Debts under maritime employment contracts of the master, the crew and others.
- Fees, taxes, and port, pilotage, towage and maritime service dues.
- Salvage rewards and the ship's share in general average.
- Compensation for collision, pollution, navigation accidents, injuries and loss of goods.
- Debts from the master's contracts and operations outside the port of registry, and the ship operator's debts because of the shipping agent's acts.
2. Within one paragraph: the rights mentioned in each paragraph have the same rank and share in the distribution in proportion to the value of each.
3. Exception for paragraphs (4) and (6): the rights of each of them are ranked separately in the reverse order of the date they arose, meaning the more recent comes before the older.
4. A single incident: rights relating to a single incident are treated as having arisen on one date.
In practical terms, a sailor with unpaid wages ranks ahead of a collision compensation creditor from the same voyage, and the sailors share among themselves proportionally. A person holding a privileged debt who wants to estimate his rank would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases or enforcement cases.
Practical example
A ship was sold by court order, and for the same voyage there are unpaid sailors' wages, port fees and collision compensation. The sailors' wages (paragraph 2) are paid first, then the port fees (paragraph 3), then the collision compensation (paragraph 5); if the price does not cover all the sailors' wages, they share it in proportion to their debts.
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 51 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
How are privileged debts on a ship ranked?
Rights relating to a single voyage rank in the order of the paragraphs of Article 46, and rights within one paragraph have the same rank and share proportionally.
What is the reverse order for salvage and master's contract debts?
The rights in paragraphs 4 and 6 of Article 46 are ranked, each paragraph separately, in the reverse order of the date they arose.
What if several rights arise from one incident?
They are treated as having arisen on one date.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Maritime Liens and Mortgages
- Article 46
The article lists the debts that carry a maritime lien on the ship, from court costs and crew employment debts to fees, salvage rewards, compensation and the master's contract debts.
تشمل حقوق الامتياز على السفينة ما يأتي: 1- المصروفات القضائية التي أنفقت لحفظ السفينة وبيعها وتوزيع ثمنها. 2- الديون الناشئة عن عقد عمل الربان والبحارة وغيرهم م
- Article 47
The article provides that maritime liens on a ship are not subject to any formality or any special requirement of proof.
لا تخضع حقوق الامتياز لأي إجراء شكلي، أو لأي شرط خاص بالإثبات.
- Article 48
The article specifies the property that the Article 46 liens attach to: the ship, the freight of the voyage that gave rise to the debt, and their accessories, with a special rule for the paragraph 3 lien.
1- تترتب حقوق الامتياز المنصوص عليها في المادة (السادسة والأربعين) على السفينة، وأجرة النقل الخاصة بالرحلة التي نشأ عنها الدين، وعلى ملحقات كل من السفينة، وأجرة
- Article 49
The article defines what counts as accessories of the ship and the freight subject to the lien, such as compensation for unrepaired damage and salvage rewards; passenger fares count as freight; insurance compensation and State subsidies are excluded.
1- يعد من ملحقات السفينة وأجرة النقل المنصوص عليها في الفقرة (1) من المادة (الثامنة والأربعين) ما يأتي: أ- التعويضات المستحقة للمالك عن الأضرار المادية التي لحق
- Article 50
The article provides that the lien on freight remains as long as the freight is payable or is held by the master or the owner's representative, and likewise the lien on the accessories of the ship and the freight.
يبقى حق الامتياز على أجرة النقل قائماً ما دامت الأجرة مستحقة الدفع، أو كانت تحت يد الربان أو ممثل المالك، وكذلك الحال بالنسبة إلى الامتياز على ملحقات السفينة وم
- Article 52
The article provides that liens arising from any voyage rank ahead of those arising from an earlier voyage, and that liens arising from a single employment contract covering several voyages share one rank.
1- حقوق الامتياز الناشئة عن أي رحلة تتقدم حقوق الامتياز الناشئة عن رحلة سابقة. 2- حقوق الامتياز الناشئة عن عقد عمل واحد يتعلق بعدة رحلات تكون كلها في مرتبة واحد
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.