Liability of carriers for the seaworthiness of a ship

U radu se obrađuje pravno uređenje prijevoznikove odgovornosti za štetu na teretu proizašlu iz plovidbene nesposobnosti broda. Analiziraju se rješenja međunarodnih i nacionalnih izvora prava s posebnim naglaskom na recentnu sudsku praksu. Definira se plovidbena sposobnost broda u kontekstu ugovora o prijevozu stvari morem. Objašnjava se značenje i domašaj obveze prijevoznika da uloži dužnu pažnju kako bi brod osposobio za plovidbu kao i posljedice koje mogu proizaći iz neizvršenja te obveze. Imajući u vidu suvremene uvjete obavljanja pomorskog prijevoza, iznosi se teza o potrebi renoviranja pravnog uređenja te prijevoznikove obveze.The Hague-Visby Rules and the national regulations based on them provide for the dominant obligation of a carrier to apply the due diligence principle in order to prepare a ship for voyage, or to perform the contracted carriage of goods. If a carrier does not fulfil this obligation and if some damage occurs on the transported cargo, the carrier will not be exempted from liability for damage. This obligation is personal and unavoidable and is traditionally limited to the beginning of the voyage. Taking into consideration the technical and organisational characteristics of contemporary carriage by sea, and in particular the possibilities available to the carriers as professionals, a conclusion may be made that it is no longer justified to limit this obligation to the beginning of the voyage. The carrier must be liable for the seaworthiness of the ship until the end of the voyage. The provisions of the Croatian Maritime Code must be amended accordingly. A high level of compulsory regulations providing for the safety of navigation, while the viewpoints presented in more recent court decisions confirm the thesis that the carriers’ liability for the seaworthiness of the vessel has significantly increased. Although liability today is still de iure based on presumed fault, due to very high standards of due diligence that carriers must apply, it can be said that this liability is de facto being made increasingly more objective