(1) “Contractual salvage” arises where a salvage agreement (such as Lloyd’s Open Form) is made between a salvor and the owners of a ship (and, if carrying cargo, the owners of its cargo) when in a position of peril.
An example was the salvage on the south coast of England of the container ship MSC Napoli and some of her cargo in 2007. (2) “Common law salvage”, also called “voluntary salvage” or “pure salvage”, arises where property is saved from peril without a contract being made with its owner, e. g. where an abandoned yacht is found adrift at sea and is brought to a port, and the salvor claims (or is offered) a salvage reward from the yacht’s owner. It also occurs where a person on a shore saves from peril an item of cargo or ship’s equipment found in the shallows and claims a reward from the property owner, or where a diver recovers an item of lost maritime property (e. g. an anchor or bell) from the seabed and claims a reward from its owner. Shipmasters are mainly concerned with contractual salvage.
