If phrases like force majeur and place of refuge excite you or you are interested in such maritime disasters as Erika, Prestige, or Castor then Eric Wiberg's new book Tanker Disasters; IMO's places of refuge and the special compensation clause deserves a place on your bookshelf (you can purchase it here). Don't dismiss this book as a snooze fest yet!
The book is an analysis of over 65 modern ship casualties and oil spills. In particular analyses the role of the Prestige and Erika on formulating a list of Places of Refuge by various coastal states, as encouraged by the International Maritime Organization. These oil spills had far-reaching consequences and led to public outrage and indirectly to the democratic downfall of the Spanish government, whose response to the Prestige sinking was deemed slow and ineffective. The government forced the disabled ship away from land, where it broke up and sank, causing some US$6 Billion in coastal and environmental damage to the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France. Written by the holder of a license in Maritime Law, experienced captain and former tanker operator, in fulfillment of a Masters in Marine Affairs degree, this paper has been requested by all the parties to a long-standing multi-billion-dollar legal action, including the classification society, the ship's flag state, and lawyers representing various governments involved. It tests hypothesis and draws conclusions, most of them contrary to the expected result, using honed academic methodologies and original data. Illustrated with black and white photographs, charts, graphs, and diagrams.
Eric will be happy to discuss his book with you over a beer at the upcoming Connecticut Maritime Association's Shipping 2010 conference in Stamford, CT March 22-24. Shucks, he may even sign your copy!
Jacket art used with permission of the author.
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2 comments:
Mr. Strong, you are an officer and a gentleman.
As the author of Tanker Disasters, bearing in mind the years of not-for-profit research that went into this and other books, I am extremely grateful to you for getting the word out. It is felt that the contents will both entertain and inform readers, especially with respect to salvage law through the ages, current EU and IMO legislation, and the comparatively new SCOPIC clause of the venerated Lloyds Open Form.
For more information readers can refer to www.tankerdisasters.com, and the paparback version should be available on www.amazon.com and other sites by mid-late Feb. 2010. Other books by the same publisher and author can be found at www.islandbooks.biz and www.powells.com (search by author).
Again, thank you Ben for your work and the readers for their time and interest. I may be reached for feedback or extra copies at ericwiberg@sbcglobal.net.
Go AMVER!
Eric T. Wiberg (USCG-Licensed since 1995)
Eric,
Glad you enjoyed our post. The book is a timely and interesting read and I hope our readers find it interesting. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insight with us!
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