Arrest Of Ships Under Maritime Law: Practice And Procedure

In every civil action involving a maritime claim, the plaintiff approaches the court or arbitral panel with the confidence that the harvest of his victory will be enjoyed. This is the basis on which the arrest of ships is premised under maritime law. The arrest of a ship refers to the detention of a ship by an order of a court to secure a maritime claim. It does not include the seizure of a ship in execution or satisfaction of a judgment or other enforceable instrument.¹ The implication of this is that in a bid to secure an acceptable guarantee of the satisfaction of the judgment in favor of the plaintiff, a ship can be arrested to obtain pre-judgment security of a maritime claim.