Third-Party Liability of Classification Societies: 2 (Hamburg Studies on Maritime Affairs)

With the worldwide upsurge of lawsuits against classification societies, their liability towards third parties has become one of the most contentious issues in contemporary maritime law. Against this background, the authors analyze potential third-party claims and examine to what extent classification societies may limit their liability. Given that the major classification societies are global players, these questions must be addressed from an international and comparative law perspective. Therefore, this study highlights the development in Australian, English, French, New Zealand, and U.S. law before discussing the relevant issues under German law.