Increase in Limits of Liability under LLMC 96
On 19 April 2012, the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted amendments to the 1996 Protocol (Protocol) to the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC), to increase the limits of liability. For your ease of reference, we attach herewith the IMO resolution.
The increases have been agreed as present Protocol limits have been deemed by some States to be inadequate to cover the costs of claims over recent years. This is particularly so in relation to bunker fuel spill claims. The effect of inflation on current level LLMC payments was also a consideration for the IMO in adopting the amendments.
The increased limits are expected to enter into force on 19 April 2015, unless there are objections within eighteen months of this date from a quarter of States which were Contracting States to the Protocol on the date the amendments were adopted.
| Under the amendments to the Protocol, the limits of liability will be as follows. | |||||
| 1)Liability for claims for loss of life or personal injury | |||||
| a) | Ships not exceeding 2,000 G/T: 3.02 million SDR (up from 2 million SDR) | ||||
| b) | For larger ships, the following additional amounts are used in calculating the limitation amount: | ||||
| For each ton from 2,001 to 30,000 tons: | 1,208 SDR | (up from 800 SDR) | |||
| For each ton from 30,001 to 70,000 tons: | 906 SDR | (up from 600 SDR) | |||
| For each ton in excess of 70,000 tons: | 604 SDR | (up from 400 SDR) | |||
| 2)Liability for any other claims | |||||
| a) | Ships not exceeding 2,000 G/T: 1.51 million SDR (up from 1 million SDR) | ||||
| b) | For larger ships, the following additional amounts are used in calculating the limitation amount: | ||||
| For each ton from 2,001 to 30,000 tons: | 604 SDR | (up from 400 SDR) | |||
| For each ton from 30,001 to 70,000 tons: | 453 SDR | (up from 300 SDR) | |||
| For each ton in excess of 70,000 tons: | 302 SDR | (up from 200 SDR) | |||