Maritime Liens: Understanding Ship & Maritime Property Claims

A maritime lien is a type of lien that is put on a ship or another piece of maritime property. This type of lien is placed on the property in order to make sure that an individual is paid for services or damages before the property can be sold. In some cases, the ship or other maritime property will be retained by a creditor until the owner of the property pays off a debt.

Reasons for a Maritime Lien

There are a number of reasons for a maritime lien on a piece of property. For example, one of the most common reasons is to secure the wages of the crew of the ship. If the owner of the ship does not pay the crew, the crew can set up a lien on the ship. Another common maritime lien involves the ship mortgage. If the loan on the ship is not paid off a maritime lien will retain the ship until the debt is settled. 

Shipowner's Lien

This type of lean is often confused with a shipowner's lien. The shipowner's lien is a lien that can be placed on the actual cargo in the ship instead of on the ship itself.