Sailing the seas of uncertainty

George Chalos, of Chalos & Co, looks at the fight for due process for seafarers in US Marpol-related detentions

It is well known throughout the maritime industry that the US aggressively pursues a programme of boarding and inspecting foreign flag-state vessels calling in US ports for possible violations of Marpol 73/78, as codified in the US Code as the Act for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (APPS), 33 USC § 1901 et seq (ie the US adaptation of Marpol).