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England and Wales Admiralty Court: Insurer avoids US$1.3m indemnity as ship held unseaworthy for master’s incompetence and systemic failings (Unity Ship Group v Euroins)

Published on: 16 January 2026

Published by a Law360 reporter
Legal News
Article summary

On 12 January 2026, the High Court issued and published a judgment dismissing Unity Ship Group S.A'.s claim that Euroins Insurance JSC was obliged to compensate it for losses after the Happy Aras ran aground off Turkey’s northern coast in March 2023. Master of the High Court Richard Davison concluded the vessel’s captain committed multiple grave mistakes in circumstances where his conduct effectively dismantled numerous essential checks and balances intended to uphold the safety of the vessel and the voyage. He further found the master later on inserted inaccurate and misleading entries in the ship’s log to divert responsibility from himself. Those systemic shortcomings meant the test for unseaworthiness was satisfied, Master Davison said. A prudent owner would have insisted upon the relevant...

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