instruments table
UNCLOS
(United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)
Article 94 Duties of the flag State7
  • 7. Each State shall cause an inquiry to be held by or before a suitably qualified person or persons into every marine casualty or incident of navigation on the high seas involving a ship flying its flag and causing loss of life or serious injury to nationals of another State or serious damage to ships or installations of another State or to the marine environment. The flag State and the other State shall co-operate in the conduct of any inquiry held by that other State into any such marine casualty or incident of navigation.
SOLAS
(International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea)
Chapter Ⅰ Regulation 21 Casualties
  • (a) Each Administration undertakes to conduct an investigation of any casualty occurring to any of its ships subject to the provisions of the present Convention when it judges that such an investigation may assist in determining what changes in the present regulations might be desirable.
  • (b) Each Contracting Government undertakes to supply the Organization with pertinent information concerning the findings of such investigations. No reports or recommendations of the Organization based upon such information shall disclose the identity or nationality of the ships concerned or in any manner fix or imply responsibility upon any ship or person.
Chapter ?-1 Regulation 6 Additional requirements for the investigation of marine casualties and incidents
  • Taking into account regulation I/21, each Administration shall conduct investigations of marine casualties and incidents, in accordance with the provisions of the present Convention, as supplemented by the provisions of the Code of the International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety Investigation into a Marine Casualty or Marine Incident (Casualty Investigation Code) adopted by resolution MSC.255(84), and:
  • .1 the provisions of parts I and II of the Casualty Investigation Code shall be fully complied with?
  • .2 the related guidance and explanatory material contained in part III of the Casualty Investigation Code should be taken into account to the greatest possible extent in order to achieve a more uniform implementation of the Casualty Investigation Code?
  • .3 amendments to parts I and II of the Casualty Investigation Code shall be adopted, brought into force and take effect in accordance with the provisions of article VIII of the present Convention concerning the amendment procedures applicable to the annex other than chapter I? and
  • .4 part III of the Casualty Investigation Code shall be amended by the Maritime Safety Committee in accordance with its rules of procedure.
MARPOL
(International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships)
Articles 12 Casualties to Ships
  • (1) Each Administration undertakes to conduct an investigation of any casualty occurring to any of its ships subject to the provisions of the Regulations if such casualty has produced a major deleterious effect upon the marine environment.
  • (2) Each Party to the Convention undertakes to supply the Organization with information concerning the findings of such investigation, when it judges that such information may assist in determining what changes in the present convention might be desirable.
ICLL
(International Convention on Load Lines)
Article 23 Casualties
  • (1) Each Administration undertakes to conduct an investigation of any casualty occurring to ships for which it is responsible and which are subject to the provisions of the present Convention when it judges that such an investigation may assist in determining what changes in the Convention might be desirable.
  • (2) Each contracting Government undertakes to supply the Organization with the pertinent information concerning the findings of such investigations. No reports or recommendations of the Organization based upon such information shall disclose the identity or nationality of the ships concerned or in any manner fix or imply responsibility upon any ship or person.
MLC
(Maritime Labou Convention)
Regulation 5.1.6 Marine casualties
  • 1. Each Member shall hold an official inquiry into any serious marine casualty, leading to injury or loss of life, that involves a ship that flies its flag. The final report of an inquiry shall normally be made public.
  • 2. Members shall cooperate with each other to facilitate the investigation of serious marine casualties referred to in paragraph 1 of this Regulation.
ILO No.147 Article2
  • Each members which ratifies this Convention undertakes-
  • (g) to hold an official inquiry into any serious marine casualty involving ships registered in its territory, particularly those involving injury and/or loss of life, the final report of such inquiry normally to be made public.
III CODE
(IMO Instruments Implementation Code)
Flag State investigations
  • 38 Marine safety investigations should be conducted by impartial and objective investigators, who are suitably qualified and knowledgeable in matters relating to the casualty. Subject to any agreement on which State or States will be the marine safety investigating State(s), the flag State should provide qualified investigators for this purpose, irrespective of the location of the casualty or incident.
  • 38 Marine safety investigations should be conducted by impartial and objective investigators, who are suitably qualified and knowledgeable in matters relating to the casualty. Subject to any agreement on which State or States will be the marine safety investigating State(s), the flag State should provide qualified investigators for this purpose, irrespective of the location of the casualty or incident.
  • 39 The flag State is recommended to ensure that individual investigators have working knowledge and practical experience in those subject areas pertaining to their normal duties. Additionally, in order to assist individual investigators in performing duties outside their normal assignments, the flag State is recommended to ensure ready access to expertise in the following areas, as necessary:

    .1 navigation and the Collision Regulations;

    .2 flag State regulations on certificates of competency;

    .3 causes of marine pollution;

    .4 interviewing techniques;

    .5 evidence gathering; and

    .6 evaluation of the effects of the human element.

  • 40 It is recommended that any accident involving personal injury necessitating absence from duty of three days or more and any deaths resulting from occupational accidents and casualties to ships of the flag State should be investigated, and the results of such investigations made public.
  • 41 Ship casualties should be investigated and reported in accordance with the relevant international instruments, taking into account the Casualty Investigation Code, as may be amended, and guidelines developed by the Organization. The report on the investigation should be forwarded to the Organization together with the flag State's observations, in accordance with the guidelines referred to above.
CI Code
(Casualty Investigation Code)
IMO Resolution MSC.255(84)
  • CODE OF THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND RECOMMENDED PRACTICES FOR A SAFETY INVESTIGATION INTO A MARINE CASUALTY OR MARINE INCIDENT