Olena Bokareva

Project summary

Maritime and transport law – carriage of goods and passengers

The project concerns passengers’ claims for damages arising from accidents on board ships, an issue that has been debated since the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The outcome of passengers’ claims for damages depends on the laws applicable in the country in which the case is heard. In brief, some passengers may be entitled to compensation for delays, while others may receive no compensation at all, even for the death of a family member or psychological trauma, despite having travelled on the same ship on the same voyage.

 

The main aim of the project is to examine liability in international passenger shipping. The focus will be on cruise ship passengers, as their claims for damages may arise from incidents both at sea and on land. The liability regime governing the carriage of passengers by sea will be compared with the liability and compensation rules applicable to air passengers.

 

One significant difference between air and sea transport is that air passengers are required to remain seated and wear their seat belts during take-off and landing. Passengers travelling by sea are exposed to a wider range of risks and injuries unrelated to the actual transportation itself. Whether carriers should be liable for injuries or deaths arising from incidents on land rather than during the voyage itself is therefore open to debate.