Maritime mortgage
Maritime liens: understanding these priority guarantees on ships
By Raphaël MORENON23 April 2025In the wake of the maritime mortgage, another category of guarantees specific to the naval world plays an essential role: maritime liens. Less well known to the general public, they are no less formidable for the creditors who benefit from them. Unlike mortgages, which arise from a contract, liens are granted directly by law to certain claims deemed particularly worthy of protection. Why has maritime law introduced these specific priority rights, which are sometimes even superior to those of a registered mortgage? Historically, at a time when mortgages on ships did not exist or were difficult to enforce, liens were the main means of securing the credit needed for shipping. They guaranteed those who provided services or goods essential to the preservation of the ship or the success of the voyage. Even today, they still protect creditors who often did not have the opportunity to...
EN 
FR