Journal Article: Identifying factors affecting salvage rewards of crewless vessels — lessons from a case study by Mayank Suri and Krzysztof Wróbel

CML congratulates Research Fellow, Mayank Suri, and co-author, Krzysztof Wróbel, on the publication of their article, ‘Identifying factors affecting salvage rewards of crewless vessels — lessons from a case study’ by WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs (2022 Vol. 1).

The disruptive technology which is proposed to allow for unmanned or autonomous operations has garnered attention both on land and at sea. The lack of a crew on board poses interesting and complex challenges for the operations of sea-going vessels. This study dwells into one such challenge, i.e. the issue of determining a salvage reward of a crewless vessel, cutting across operational and legal issues since the law of ships is closely connected to the practice of mariners. We look at a recent incident which can be used to make analogous comparisons with what could, one day be the salvage of a crewless vessel. We propose that immense thought should be given to the study of salvage as a legal subject for crewless vessels. Our study finds that most of the traditional elements of a salvage reward are highly dependent on human centric factors which will be affected by a lack of crew. We argue that a less discretionary and more standardised formula should be put in place to determine salvage reward for crewless vessels. We also propose that a changing shipping eco-system would require changes to the understanding of salvage as a professional service.

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