SOLONG collision: liability capped despite master’s gross negligence　SOLONG衝突、船長重過失でも船主賠償に上限

UK court upholds LLMC limitation of liability in major claims dispute

英裁判所、巨額請求巡りLLMCの責任制限を認める

　A ruling by the Admiralty Court of the High Court of Justice in the UK over the serious collision in March 2025 between the containership SOLONG and the anchored tanker STENA IMMACULATE off the UK coast offers important implications for shipowners and shipmanagement companies.

　Based on an interesting case summary recently shared by Yuichi Tajima of P&I Club Skuld Japan, Maritime Bridge Japan (MBJ) examines what the ruling means for Japanese shipowners, operators and shipmanagement companies.

■The full article covers the following points (approximately 2,000 Japanese characters)

→ The master was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. Why, then, was a limit placed on the liability of SOLONG’s shipowner?

→ LLMC limitation of liability is “virtually unbreakable” – what is the high threshold reaffirmed by the UK Admiralty Court?

→ The outcome could have been different if the shipowner had continued to employ a “dangerous master” despite knowing the risks. The ruling sheds light on where the boundary lies for breaking a shipowner’s right to limit liability.

→ A DPA does not automatically become the shipowner’s “directing mind and will” – an important ruling for Japanese shipmanagement companies as well.

→ Near misses, PSC, internal audits and master evaluations – how should “warning signs” from ships be communicated to management? The SOLONG ruling raises practical issues for Japanese shipowners and shipmanagement companies.

Photo courtesy of UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

　(Please read the full paid article in English and Japanese for more. The Japanese version follows the English article.)

SOLONG衝突、船長の重過失でも船主の賠償に上限

英裁判所、巨額請求巡りLLMCの責任制限を認める

　2025年3月に英国沖でコンテナ船「SOLONG」が錨泊中のタンカー「STENA IMMACULATE」に衝突した重大事故を巡り、英国高等法院海事裁判所が下した判決が、船主や船舶管理会社に重要な示唆を与えている。

　P&IクラブのSkuld Japanの田島裕一氏がこのほど共有した興味深い判例要約を基に、Maritime Bridge Japan（MBJ）が日本の船主、オペレーター、船舶管理会社にとっての意味を読み解く。

■記事本文では以下の内容を読むことができます（記事全文約2,000文字）

→ 船長は重過失致死罪で有罪。それでもなぜ、SOLONG船主の賠償責任には「上限」が認められたのか

→ LLMCの責任制限は「事実上、破ることが極めて困難」――英国海事裁判所が改めて示した高いハードルとは

→ 「危険な船長」と知りながら使い続けていたら結論は違った可能性も。船主の責任制限が崩れる境界線を判決から読み解く

→ DPAは自動的に「船主の意思決定者」にはならない――日本の船舶管理会社にも重要な英国裁判所の判断

→ near miss、PSC、内部監査、船長評価――船上の「危険信号」を経営までどう届けるか。SOLONG判決が日本の船主・船管会社に突き付けた実務上の論点

（続きは英語と日本語で書かれた有料版の本文でお読みください。日本語の記事は英文記事に続いて掲載されています）