Salvage

Salvage, the compensation allowed to persons by whose assistance a ship or boat, or the cargo of a ship or the lives of the persons belonging to her, are saved from danger or loss in cases of shipwreck, derelict, capture, and the like; and a salvor is he who renders such assistance. The assistance must be voluntary, and not under any contract or duty, and must involve skill, enterprise, and risk on the part of the salvors (see the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854). The right to salvage may be forfeited, either totally or partially, by misconduct on the part of the salvors, but the evidence of misconduct must be conclusive. A towing-ship, if it render salvage services, will be entitled to salvage reward like any other ship. Similarly, one of the vessels which have been in collision may, if the innocent party, be entitled to salvage for services rendered to the other party, but not so if both ships were equally at fault.