Article 52 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 52 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثاني: حقوق الامتياز على السفينة
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 واحدة.
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 52 explained in plain English
After Article 51 regulated the ranking of liens relating to a single voyage, this article regulates ranking between different voyages:
1. The latest voyage first: liens arising from any voyage rank ahead of liens arising from an earlier voyage. That is, debts of the last voyage are paid before debts of the voyages before it.
2. A single employment contract: liens arising from a single employment contract covering several voyages are all in one rank, with no distinction between them according to voyage.
In practical terms, a privileged creditor from an old voyage may find himself behind creditors of later voyages. This rule is consistent with Article 51, which ranks the rights in paragraphs 4 and 6 of Article 46 within a single voyage in reverse order of their date. A sailor or worker who worked on several voyages under one contract does not have his rights under that contract split in rank according to voyage.
The article does not address how creditors from different voyages and different paragraphs are ranked beyond what it states. A person with a privileged debt from an earlier voyage would do well not to delay his claim and to consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases.
Practical example
A ship has a service provider's debt from a January voyage and another provider's debt from a March voyage. Under the article, the March voyage debt ranks ahead of the January voyage debt on distribution.
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 52 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Which privileged ship debts come first: older or more recent?
Liens arising from any voyage rank ahead of liens arising from an earlier voyage.
How are rights under an employment contract covering several voyages ranked?
They are all in one rank.
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 51
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.
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
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.