The liability of the carrier for the death of or personal injury to a passenger : International regulations and the Croatian Maritime Code

Abstract

Kroz komparativnu analizu odredaba Pomorskog zakonika RH o odgovornosti brodara za smrt ili tjelesne ozljede putnika i odgovarajućih konvencijskih rješenja nastoji se utvrditi u kojoj je mjeri Pomorski zakonik RH usvojio konvencijska rješenja, te na koji je način reagirao na promjene koje su se na međunarodnom planu desile poglavito u području visine brodarove odgovornosti. Na međunarodnom je planu odgovornosti brodara za povredu tjelesnog integriteta putnika regulirana Međunarodnom konvencijom za izjednačenje nekih pravila o prijevozu putnika morem iz 1961. godine, i Međunarodnom konvencijom o prijevozu putnika i njihove prtljage morem (Atenska konvencija) iz 1974. godine. Atenska je konvencija izmijenjena Protokolom iz 1976. godine koji je ustanovio novu obračunsku jedinicu - Posebno pravo vučenja -, te Protokolom iz 1990. godine koji je znatno povisio granice odgovornosti brodara. Zaključuje se da je Pomorski zakonik usvojio konvencijska rješenja o odgovornosti brodara za povredu tjelesnog integriteta putnika. Najkvalitetniji pomak je učinjen svakako u području visine brodarove odgovornosti gdje je prihvaćena nova obračunska jedinica. Posebno se ističe potreba pristupanja Atenskoj konvenciji zajedno s protokolima iz 1976. i 1990. godine.The author is comparatively analysing the provisions of the new 1994 Croatian Maritime Code regulating the liability of the carrier for the death of or personal injury to a passenger and the corresponding solutions of international conventions. He seeks to establish to what degree the solutions of international conventions have been incorporated into the Croatian Maritime Code. At the international level, the carrier\u27s liability has been regulated by the 1961 International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules relating to the Carriage of Passengers by Sea, and by the 1974 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea. The Athens Convention was amended by the 1976 Protocol by which a new unit of account - the Special Drawing Right -, has been established and by the 1990 Protocol by which the limits of carrier\u27s liability have been remarkably increased. The author concludes that the solutions of international conventions regulating the liability of a carrier for death of or personal injury to a passenger have been incorporated into the Croatian Maritime Code and the most significant progress was made by adopting the new unit of account - the Special Drawing Right. The necessity of accession to the Athens Convention with the 1976 and 1990 Protocols is particularly pointed out