Analysing the arrest of ships in English and Scots law in the light of the international conventions in the field this book examines the protective, security, and jurisdictional functions of arrest within the three classical domains of private international law: applicable law, jurisdiction, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

The Arrest Conventions, signed in 1952 and 1999, play a fundamental role in the worldwide enforcement of maritime claims. Arrest of ships is one of the most distinctive features of international maritime law. It provides a powerful, efficient and effective means of enforcing maritime claims in rem, obtaining sufficient asset security and preserving property pending substantive proceedings. Ship arrest is, however, also a draconian power that cuts across property rights and can cause considerable commercial harm to shipowning interests. This book provides thematic and comparative analysis from leading international commentators on the most significant legal and policy issues, including practical problems arising from the Arrest Convention texts, as well as the direct implementation or indirect 'translation' of the Arrest Conventions into domestic legal systems. It critically analyses the political and historical development of the Conventions, explores the key concepts underpinning the Arrest Convention frameworks and considers the future of ship arrest.

Originally presented as author's thesis (LL.M.), University of Natal/Durban, 1989.

This work focuses on a specific aspect of the enforcement of maritime claims, namely judicial sales of ships, a procedure creditors typically resort to in the event of an irreversible default situation. A substantial part of the book approaches the topic from a comparative perspective, the goal being to assess the similarities and differences of the judicial sale procedure between three specific jurisdictions: Belgium, the Netherlands, and England & Wales. In this study, the comparison is used to further analyse the impacts of these differences on the effectiveness and reliability of the judicial sale procedure in each jurisdiction and also forms the basis for assessing the feasibility of harmonising judicial sale procedures and fostering their acceptance. Considering the international character typical of judicial sales of ships, conflict-of-law questions are very likely to arise during these procedures. Accordingly, the comparative study, where appropriate, is viewed against a private international law background.

Now presented in two convenient volumes, the sixth edition of Berlingieri on Arrest of Ships is an invaluable source of information, detailing the claims in respect of which a ship may be arrested, the conditions for obtaining an order of arrest, the need for a security, the manner by which the ship that has been arrested may be released, the possibility of a multiple arrest and the jurisdiction on the merits. Focused on the 1952 Arrest Convention, volume I provides a unique, thorough, and updated commentary, analysing each provision with reference to its interpretation in a significant number of States Parties. Moreover, the original comments have been reviewed on the basis of the Travaux Préparatoires of the Convention, which the Author has collected and arranged under each article. In addition to this, the Travaux Préparatoires are now included as a new and important appendix to the volume. Written by a renowned expert in the field, and analysing the various conventions relating to the arrest of ships in an article-by-article and paragraph manner, this book is a useful reference tool for practitioners, as well as academics and post-graduate students of maritime law.