Section 157 of Merchant Shipping Act, 2025 — Right of contribution
Bare section text
Official Legislative Text
[Not explicitly provided in text, indexed for structure] (1) Whenever loss of life or personal injuries are suffered by a person onboard a vessel owing to the fault of that vessel and of any other vessel and a proportion of the damages is recovered from the owner of one of the vessels which exceeds the proportion in which she was in fault, the said owner may recover by way of contribution the amount of the excess from the owners of the other vessels to the extent to which those vessels were respectively in fault: Provided that no amount shall be so recovered which shall not, by reason of any statutory or contractual limitation of, or exemption from, liability or which shall not for any other reason, have been recovered in the first instance as damages by the persons entitled to sue therefor. (2) In addition to any other remedy provided by law for the time being in force, the person entitled to any contribution under sub-section (1) shall, for the purpose of recovering the contribution, have subject to the provisions of this Act, the same rights and powers as the persons entitled to sue for damages in the first instance.
Educational Study Layer
Practical examples
FAQ
1. If I pay a full injury claim for a collision I only partly caused, can I get money back under The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, Section 157?
Yes, Section 157 allows an owner who paid more than their share of fault to recover that excess amount from the other ship owners who were also at fault.
2. Are there limits on how much I can recover from another ship owner under Section 157?
Yes, Section 157 of the 2025 Act says you cannot recover any amount that the other owner would have been legally or contractually exempt from paying in the first place.
3. What legal powers do I have to get my contribution back from another owner under Section 157?
Under Section 157 of the shipping law, you have the same rights and powers to recover that money as the injured person would have had if they had sued the other owner directly.
Practice Quiz
Q1.Under Section 157 of The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, when is a ship owner allowed to ask another ship owner for money after an accident?
Q2.According to Section 157 of the 2025 Act, what happens if the other ship owner had a contract that exempted them from being sued by the injured person?
Q3.How does the law help an owner recover contribution from another ship under Section 157 of The Merchant Shipping Act, 2025?
Q4.Under Sections 156 and 157 of the 2025 maritime law, if Owner A pays a 1 million injury claim in full despite being 0% at fault, how do these sections work together?