A Study On The Legal Status Of Shipowner During The Unregistered Bareboat Charter Period In Collisions Between Ships

The legal status of shipowners during the unregistered bareboat charterperiod in collisions between ships has not drawn sufficient academicattention, which is particularly important in view of growing market demandof ship leasing in the scenario of financial crisis today, clarifying which willcontribute to the development of relevant laws and regulations.Although the legal status of bareboat charterers in collisions betweenships is clear under international conventions, Chinese laws and judicialpractice, that of shipowners is unclear when the bareboat charter is notregistered. Confirming the legal status depends on the solutions of thefollowing three major issues:(1) clarifying the legal issues of bareboatcharter registration;(2) identifying the legal rights of shipowners during theunregistered bareboat charter period in collisions between ships;(3)identifying the obligations of shipowners during the unregistered bareboatcharter period in collisions between ships. Specific issues in these three areas are also analyzed in this dissertation.Ensuring the legal relationship of shipowner during the unregisteredbareboat charter period and the parties in collisions between ships is the coreissue for confirming the legal status of shipowner during the unregisteredbareboat charter period and can provide remedies for the questions of thejudicial practice. Clarifying the rights and obligations between shipownersand other relevant parties during the unregistered bareboat charter period willplay an important role in judicial practice. It is conducive to further clarifythe legal status of shipowners during the unregistered bareboat charter period.