Emergencies in Ships at Open Seas and Places of Refuge

Abstract

From the sinking of the tanker “Prestige”, debates on whether or not to have pre-established places of refuge in the Spanish and European coasts have been intensified, as well as having contingency plans for decision-making about a ship in need of assistance. This paper summarizes how is, ten years after, the legislation in Spain in this area and, as a theoretical exercise, a protocol to different emergencies on ships at sea is proposed.