The second edition of this handbook seeks to follow the first in providing a useful set of concise notes and discussion on recent cases of particular importance to shipowners and on other recent legal developments which could materially affect carriers’ liabilities. The publishers have drawn not only on reported cases on both sides of the Atlantic but on the more esoteric source of arbitrators’ decisions of which they have first-hand knowledge.

The handbook is divided up into sections approximating to the many areas of interest aroused by recent cases. In particular, there is a section on the increasingly important topic of oil cargo shortages in which recent American cases and arbitrations are discussed, and a brief, but informative, section on the Mareva Injunction in addition to sections on the more general problems of time and voyage charter-parties and bills of lading.

Where practicable the information is given in the form of short articles instead of case notes on individual decisions. These are necessarily brief and do not seek to deal with matters in any depth, their function being to provide a concise working guide to the legal principles involved. Despite this brevity, a high standard of accuracy is maintained throughout. The lack of depth reflects the fact that this work is not intended for practising lawyers nor for P. & I. Club managers but for shipowners and possibly masters who need a brief, concise and accurate guide and reference work to the problems facing them in day-to-day practice. The wealth of material referred to, however, makes it of considerable interest to the businessman and lawyer alike, and with the full list of citations of reported decisions appended to the text it could prove a useful starting point to deeper and more detailed research.

The publishers intend to produce “Legal Decisions” annually and to facilitate its further use have produced a cumulative index to P. & I. Defence Club Reports from 1970–6 and Legal Decisions from 1977–8 which will be kept up to date in future editions.