Salvage Services
Captain Charles A. (Black Bart) Bartholomew, a graduate of US Naval Academy, former Commanding Officer of
the Naval Experimental Diving Unit, and served as Director of Ocean Engineering
and Supervisor of Salvage at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington,
DC.,
defined marine salvage as:
“A science of vague assumptions based on debatable figures taken from inconclusive experiments and performed with instruments of problematic accuracy by persons of doubtful reliability and questionable mentality.”
The courts view marine salvage as a service rendered voluntarily (no pre-existing agreement to render
the service exists) to a vessel needing assistance. This service must be to
alleviate the vessel from some distress of danger. This danger or peril need
not be immediate, imminent and absolute; it is enough that the vessel has
encountered a situation which might expose the vessel to damage or destruction
if the services are not rendered.
As a TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale customer, we want you to know that marine salvage takes place when we rescue your boat from a marine peril whether it be aground, on a reef, beached, stranded at sea, sinking or any other number of situations. Your marine insurance policy is designed to cover these types of losses, not your BoatU.S. Towing Services plan.
There are a number of different ways we will charge for a salvage service. TowBoatU.S. Ft. Lauderdale looks at a number of factors before determining the method of billing such as what did we save, where was the vessel, what risk was there to our equipment and crew, what risk was there to the casualty and to the environment, what would have happened had it not been for our assistance?
Since there are so many
factors to consider, our captains will probably not be able to quote a price
when they arrive on scene. Our captains are trained to inform you that the
services they are about to render are salvage and you will be asked to sign our
salvage contract. The contract is a two-sided sheet, written in simple terms
that calls for binding arbitration should your insurance company and TowBoatU.S.
Ft. Lauderdale fail to agree on a fair and reasonable price for our services.
We have performed tens of thousands of salvages since our inception in 1989 and
we have taken action in court twice and used arbitration approximately six
times. Our reputation in the marine community is impeccable and we work hard to
keep it that way.
To help you be better
prepared to handle a salvage situation, we recommend you review your marine
insurance policy and understand what
coverage is afforded to you for salvage
services. We also strongly urge you to get to know your local salvor before you
are faced with a
salvage situation. Learn about their reputation within the
community and find out their philosophy on salvage. Knowing who to call will
make all the difference!
See a Copy of our Salvage Contract