13.1 Introduction

13.1.1 Urgency for wreck removal operations

Apart from the gradual transition from salvage to wreck removal, described in Chapter 12, a ship may be wrecked without any prior attempts at (or possibility of) salvage, eg where a vessel founders and sinks quickly. Here it will be fairly obvious that there will be a total loss claim for hull and most of the cargo, and the focus will shift to any responsibilities to raise and remove the wreck on behalf of the shipowner and its insurer (eg the Club).