The contemporary significance of the early efforts to codify the duty to render assistance at sea

Abstract

This article examines the contemporary significance of the early efforts to codify the duty to render assistance at sea as reflected in the 1910 International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law relating to Assistance and Salvage at Sea, the 1910 International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law with Respect to Collisions between Vessels, and the 1914 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. It commences with an introduction to the duty to render assistance and its historical development under international law. It then analyses the role of early maritime treaties in the formulation of said duty. This is followed by a review of the major treaties which provide the contemporary regime. The article concludes by examining the extent to which said early efforts influenced the formulation of the rules found in contemporary treaty law.