Maritime Casualties: Causes and Consequences

By: Tuuli Messer-Bookman

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Synopsis: Since the Titanic disaster of 1912, the horrors of major maritime casualties have prompted international conventions and domestic legislation, but the link between events and outcomes (which are often separated by many years) is rarely understood by those working in the maritime industry. This book, the only comprehensive guide to this link, sets forth the major casualties of the last hundred years and explains resulting regulatory changes. Taking a macro-level view, it describes the trends and reactions across decades, and how, over time, focus has shifted from equipment failures to people and their behaviors as the primary cause of maritime casualties. Timely and thorough, it also explores the alarming increase in the criminalization of maritime accidents, especially the relatively recent reclassification of pollution incidents as “environmental crimes.” This book offers broad insight to the history, laws, and conventions that regulate worldwide commercial maritime activity.