Salvage

[capt_courageous]

Some time ago a friend found a small unidentified power boat aground in Southampton water. It was in new condition but a DIY job, not a known type. He informed the Port Authority , police etc after making it secure at our club. The police said he could keep it and use it but it was still the property of who ever had lost it. I suppose the tricky bit is knowing whether it was abandoned or had just come off its mooring. In that case it seemed pretty obvious it had just lost its mooring. Strangely the 'owner' never appeared so he used it for years.

 

[webcraft]

Mine, all mine I tell you!

.
This was in international waters and had been abandoned six weeks previously. It had departed from Portuguese territory on its last voyage and the Portuguese coastguard told me via Satphone that it was mine if I wanted it. If I had towed it or otherwise got it the 180 miles to Tenerife rest assured I would have kept it unless the original owners made me a reasonable offer.

Don't know what the Spanish authorities would have said though . . . no doubt they would have wanted some money on some pretext or another.

- W

 

[LadyInBed]

The police said he could keep it and use it but it was still the property of who ever had lost it.

Sounds similar to a case where you find an item and hand it into the Police.
If it is not claimed within X amount of time, you can claim the item.

My daughter found an envelope with about £500 in it.
She did the above, it wasn't claimed (after 3 months I think) so she got it.

 

[Searush]

When I was relatively new to boat ownership, my first boat broke her mooring strops (& bent flat a very stout bow roller) in a NW'ly Autumn gale against a strong ebb. It ended up neaped on a sandy beach just short of a rock breakwater. I was 80 miles away at work & a pal offered to save it for me if I would put an insurance calim in for the salvage. At first I was shocked, but then realised that I wanted her saving, I couldn't do it, & I didn't mind him getting just reward for his efforts.

He & a pal put in a lot of work digging trenches & had to break in to start the engine as she floated off & to get her bacK on her mooring. He put in a claim for 10% of value - to which I added the cost of a few minor repairs I did myself including replacing the bow roller with an even stronger one. The insurance company payed up happily as it was much less than total loss, which it might easily have been had he not worked so hard & well. He felt suitably rewarded & I was happy to only have to meeet the policy excess.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I suspect there will be three (at least) separate sets of rules:

1. Offshore, out of territorial waters
2. Coastal territorial waters
3. Enclosed waters (e.g. the Solent, Clyde etc.

I suspect that the "report to Receiver of Wreck and claim salvage" bit is for 1 and 2; but the "report to police and claim after 3 months (or whatever)" is correct for 3. And of course, there may well be differences between 1 and 2; in the case of 1, I daresay you'd have to abide by the rules of whatever country you landed in; in the case of 2 it would be the rules of the nation whose territorial waters you were in.

 

[DanBurrill]

I suspect there will be three (at least) separate sets of rules:

1. Offshore, out of territorial waters
2. Coastal territorial waters
3. Enclosed waters (e.g. the Solent, Clyde etc.

I suspect that the "report to Receiver of Wreck and claim salvage" bit is for 1 and 2; but the "report to police and claim after 3 months (or whatever)" is correct for 3. And of course, there may well be differences between 1 and 2; in the case of 1, I daresay you'd have to abide by the rules of whatever country you landed in; in the case of 2 it would be the rules of the nation whose territorial waters you were in.

The boundary for salvage is (IIRC) "tidal waters and connected non-tidal waters navigable by seagoing vessels", in practice all of the Norfolk Broads are covered. I'm not sure where the exact limits are for other inland waterways.

 

[KellysEye]

The International law on salvage is here http://www.safesea.com/salvage/law/salcon_89.html