The carrot or the stick?

Chris Hill contemplates the difficulties facing the CMI this June with regard to places of refuge…

In June of this year there is scheduled to take place in Vancouver a CMI conference on the subject of places of refuge for stricken ships. The conference presumably has as its aim to agree and draft out a law for international consideration which will place some measure of legal duty upon countries whose coastlines contain ports, or to use a slightly wider term, places where stricken ships can potentially seek shelter, help and a haven from extraordinary sea perils. I shall try to get through these comments without a mention of the Castor or of the Prestige, which latter has already soaked up as much publicity as any one ship should reasonably be allowed.