Article 98 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 98 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الأول: المالك والمجهز
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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.
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 98 explained in plain English
This article sets a period for hearing a liability action against the ship's owner:
- The period: two years.
- Its start: from the date of the act giving rise to the liability, not from the date the injured party learned of it or made a claim.
- The effect: after this period the action is not heard.
However, the article begins with the phrase "without prejudice to rights arising from death or bodily injury". This period does not affect those rights, and the article does not set another period for them, so the provisions governing them apply.
The purpose of the short period is the stability of maritime transactions, because evidence in maritime incidents weakens over time and ships move between countries. The injured party should therefore act promptly in filing his action.
This provision is part of the rules on the ship owner's liability; Article 99 extends the rules on limitation of liability to the non-owner operator, the charterer and others. Anyone with a claim against a ship's owner should consult a lawyer who specializes in maritime law and compensation before the two years expire.
Practical example
A company's goods were damaged at the port of Dammam through the fault of a ship's crew in March 2025. If the company wants to sue the ship's owner, it must file the action before March 2027, otherwise it will not be heard.
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 98 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
What is the time limit for a liability action against a ship's owner?
Two years from the date of the act giving rise to the liability.
Does the two-year period apply to death and injury claims?
The article states that rights arising from death or bodily injury are not prejudiced, so this period does not affect them.
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 94
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.
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
- 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
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.