Towing
Understanding towing: focus on maritime issues for professionals
By Yasmine EDDAM17 April 2025Towing. Behind this technical operation, which is often essential to the smooth running of maritime and port activities, lies a complex legal world. Whether it involves guiding a ship safely to its quay or moving an installation at sea, the contract governing this service is a source of many issues, particularly in terms of liability. For professionals in the sector - shipowners, charterers, port managers, insurers - a good understanding of the applicable rules is essential. This article provides a summary of the key legal aspects of towage, focusing on the maritime sector where the main concerns are concentrated. The different facets of maritime towing Towing basically involves providing motive power to move a vessel or floating craft. At sea, there are two main types of towing: port towing, which is an aid to manoeuvring in the often confined areas of ports and harbours, and...
Liability and maritime towing: who pays in the event of damage?
Commercial, business and competition law, TowingA maritime towing operation, even a routine one, is never without risk. A sudden gust of wind, a wrong manoeuvre, material damage... and an incident can occur, sometimes causing considerable damage to the tug, the towed vessel, third parties or port facilities. The question then arises...Beyond the seas: understanding river, land and air towing
Commercial, business and competition law, TowingWhile maritime towing, with its spectacular economic stakes and risks (for an overview of its key issues), takes centre stage in the legal arena (for a closer look at its foundations and obligations), the act of towing one craft by another is not limited to oceans and ports....The maritime towage contract: formation, nature and obligations
Commercial, business and competition law, TowingThe incessant ballet of ships in our ports or their long journeys on the high seas often rely on a technical operation that is as common as it is crucial: towing. Whether it's helping a giant of the seas to dock safely or moving a floating structure hundreds of metres...
EN 
FR