Article 94 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 94 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الأول: المالك والمجهز
The article sets out the six kinds of claims in which a ship's owner may limit his liability, such as death, injury, loss of property, damage to port installations, delay and wreck removal.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لمالك السفينة أن يحدد مسؤوليته إذا كانت الدعوى ناشئة عن أحد الأسباب الآتية:
1- الوفاة أو الإصابة التي تلحق الأشخاص الموجودين على متن السفينة بقصد نقلهم، والهلاك أو الضرر الذي يلحق بالأموال الموجودة على متنها.
2- الوفاة أو الإصابة التي تلحق أي شخص آخر سواء في البر أو في البحر، والهلاك أو الضرر الذي يلحق مالٍ آخر متى كان ذلك ناشئاً عن فعلٍ أو إهمالٍ أو خطأ من أي شخص على متن السفينة يكون المالك مسؤولاً عنه.
3- الأضرار التي تحدثها السفينة لمنشآت الميناء أو الأحواض أو الممرات المائية أو المساعدات الملاحية.
4- الخسائر الناجمة عن التأخير في نقل البضائع أو الركاب أو أمتعتهم بحراً.
5- خرق حقوق غير تعاقدية تحدث مباشرة نتيجة تشغيل السفينة أو عمليات الإنقاذ.
6- الأضرار الناشئة عن رفع حطام السفن الغارقة أو الجانحة أو المهجورة أو إزالته أو إتلاف السفينة، أو إزالة خطرها ويشمل ذلك كل ما عليها من حمولة أو غيرها.
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 94 explained in plain English
After Article 93 provided that the liability of the ship's owner is limited in accordance with international conventions, this article sets out the claims in which the owner may rely on this limitation. They are those arising from:
- Death or injury of persons on board the ship for the purpose of carriage, and loss of or damage to property on board.
- Death or injury of any other person on land or at sea, and loss of or damage to any other property, where it arises from an act, neglect or fault of a person on board the ship for whom the owner is liable.
- Damage caused by the ship to port installations, docks, waterways or aids to navigation.
- Losses resulting from delay in the carriage of goods, passengers or their baggage by sea.
- Infringement of non-contractual rights occurring directly as a result of the operation of the ship or of salvage operations.
- Damage arising from raising, removing or destroying the wreck of a sunken, stranded or abandoned ship or removing its hazard, including its cargo.
This does not mean that limitation is always available in these cases; Article 95 excepts cases where limitation is not permitted, such as damage arising from an intentional act of the owner or his representative, or from oil pollution. To assess whether limitation applies to a particular claim, consult a lawyer who specializes in maritime and commercial law.
Practical example
While entering the port of Yanbu, a ship collided with the port quay and damaged it. When its owner is sued for compensation, he may rely on limitation of liability, because damage to port installations is one of the cases in the article, unless one of the cases of exclusion in Article 95 applies.
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 94 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Can a ship owner limit his liability for injury to passengers?
Yes. Death or injury of persons on board the ship for the purpose of carriage is one of the cases in which limitation is permitted.
Does limitation cover losses from delay of goods?
Yes. Losses resulting from delay in the carriage of goods, passengers or their baggage by sea are cases of limitation.
Is limitation always permitted in these cases?
No. Article 95 sets out cases in which limitation is not permitted even if the claim is of these kinds.
More articles on Liability of the Ship Owner and Operator
- Article 92
The ship's owner or operator is civilly liable for the acts of the master, the seamen, the pilot and all persons in the ship's service committed in the course of or because of their duties, and for the master's contracts within his powers.
يسأل مالك السفينة أو مجهزها مدنيًّا عن أفعال الربان والبحارة والمرشد وأي شخص آخر في خدمة السفينة إذا وقعت منهم أثناء تأدية وظائفهم أو بسببها، ويُسأل أيضاً عن ال
- Article 93
The liability of the ship's owner is limited in accordance with the international conventions on limitation of liability for maritime claims to which the Kingdom has acceded.
تحدد مسؤولية مالك السفينة طبقاً للاتفاقيات الدولية المتعلقة بتحديد المسؤولية عن المطالبات البحرية التي انضمت إليها المملكة.
- Article 95
A ship's owner may not limit his liability for intentional damage or reckless neglect with awareness of damage, salvage and general average claims, the rights of crew members and their heirs, and pollution damage.
لا يجوز لمالك السفينة تحديد مسؤوليته وفقاً لحكم المادة (الرابعة والتسعين) إذا كانت الدعوى ناشئة عن أحد الأسباب الآتية: 1- الضرر الناشئ عن فعلٍ أو امتناعٍ عن فعل
- Article 96
Limitation of liability applies to the balance after set-off between the owner's debt and the creditor's debt from the same incident, and execution against the owner's property is barred if the compensation sum is placed at the creditor's disposal or an acceptable guarantee is provided.
1- إذا نشأ لمالك السفينة المدين دين قبل أحد الدائنين في حادث واحد، فلا يسري تحديد المسؤولية إلا بالنسبة إلى المبلغ الباقي بعد إجراء المقاصة بين الدينين. 2- لا ي
- Article 97
If the ship's owner pays one of the debts before the compensation sums are distributed, he is subrogated to the creditor to the extent of what he paid, and the court may, at his request, hold back part of the sums for a debt he proves he may become liable for.
1- إذا وفى مالك السفينة أحد الديون التي يُجرى التوزيع بينها قبل توزيع المبالغ المخصصة للتعويضات، جاز له أن يحلّ محل صاحب الدين في التوزيع بمقدار المبلغ الذي وفا
- Article 98
No liability action against the ship's owner is heard after two years from the date of the act giving rise to the liability, without prejudice to rights arising from death or bodily injury.
مع عدم الإخلال بالحقوق الناشئة عن الوفاة أو الإصابة البدنية، لا تسمع الدعوى بالمسؤولية على مالك السفينة بعد مضي سنتين من تاريخ وقوع الفعل المنشئ للمسؤولية.
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.