RIGHTS OF PASSENGERS CARRIED BY SEA IN THE CASE OF ACCIDENTS RIGHTS OF PASSENGERS CARRIED BY SEA IN THE CASE OF ACCIDENTS

The adequate protection of passengers on board ships is a key concern of the European transport policy. It is also one of the main concerns of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Strengthening the rights of sea passengers became one of the top priorities of the worldwide shipping community following the occurrence of a number of tragic shipping accidents in past decades. There are two “legislative weapons ” which have to be used in order to achieve this goal. The first is preventative – the modification of passenger ship safety rules. The other is palliative – the improvement of rules regulating the compensation of passengers (and other persons entitled to such compensation) for damage suffered as a consequence of an accident that occurs onboard a ship. This paper presents an overview of rules covering the matter of compensation of maritime passengers in the case of accidents. Important international agreements and other legal instruments that are currently in force shall be analysed as well as new instruments which are likely to come into force in the near future. Provisions of the Croatian Maritime Code (CMC) shall be compared to the solutions which relevant international agreements provide. Key words: carriage of passengers by sea, liability of carrier, marine insurance