| Admiralty and maritime law |
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| History |
| Features |
| Contract of carriage /charterparty |
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| International organizations |
| International conventions |
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| International Codes |
TheAthens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea (PAL) is anInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) legal Convention.[1][2][3][4]
The convention was adopted at an international conference inAthens on 13 December 1974.[2] It entered into force on 28 April 1987. It harmonised two earlier conventions relating to damage or loss forship passengers and theirluggage.[1][2]
In 2002, a Protocol to update the convention was adopted on 1 November.[5] It entered into force on 23 April 2014.[1] The 2002 Protocol substantially increases the liability limits for shipowners and covers death or personal injury to passengers, as well as damage to both luggage and vehicles.[5]
The Convention sets out international liability requirements for maritime passengers.[2] It applies to seagoing vessels.[1] The convention sets out that a carrier is liable for damage or loss suffered to the passenger and their luggage if the damage and loss were due to fault and neglect.[4] This includes death. Financial compensation is assigned under set values forSpecial drawing rights per passenger.[1][2]
The content has been ratified byArgentina,Bahamas,Barbados,Belgium,China,Croatia,Egypt,Equatorial Guinea,Germany,Georgia,Greece,Guyana,Hong Kong,Ireland,Jordan,Liberia,Luxembourg,Malawi,Marshall Islands,Poland,Spain,Switzerland,Tonga,Ukraine,Russia,United Kingdom,Vanuatu andYemen.[6]