The 2007 Bourbon Dolphin Disaster: Legal Issues and the Future of the ISM Code

On the 12th of April 2007 the Bourbon Dolphin, a Norwegian anchor-handling ship, capsized 75 miles off the coast of Scotland and sank 3 days later, claiming 8 of the 15 lives onboard. That this could happen in a time when a ‘safety culture’ is at the forefront of the minds of the maritime community raises serious concerns about, and significantly undermines the ability of, the 2002 International Safety Management (ISM) Code to provide its mandatory global standard of safe management and operation of ships. This book examines some of the legal issues surrounding the disaster and considers the future of the ISM Code.