Admiralty & Maritime
5. Voluntary Assistance to Others
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Last updated: 30 Mar 2015
- If you voluntarily assist a ship that is wrecked or stranded there are a range of entitlements that you may have access to.
- Under commonwealth law you have a legal right to a reasonable amount of salvage reward should you voluntarily save a ship or its cargo or equipment. Salvage reward is money to be paid to you by the owner of the ship or the owner of the freight or equipment that you have saved. In order to access such entitlements the salvage exercise must have taken place in Australian waters.
- Your right to a salvage reward also applies where you voluntarily help to save a ship or to preserve freight on a ship that is in distress, wrecked or stranded in Australian waters.
- While there is no legally fixed rate of salvage reward the amount you are entitled to should not exceed the overall value of the property you have assisted in saving.
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