American P&I Club issues Circular 24/12
The American P&I Club has issued Circular regarding Entry into force of the Regulation (EC) No 392/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the Liability of Carriers of Passengers by Sea in the Event of Accidents (PLR).
The PLR will apply in all European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) member states1 from December 31, 2012. The regulation essentially gives effect to the key provisions of the Athens Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, 1974 as amended by the 2002 Protocol (the Convention), together with the 2006 IMO Reservation and Guidelines for Implementation of the Convention covering war risks (the Guidelines).
A significant feature of the PLR is that it extends the provisions of the Convention to certain categories of passenger ships engaged in domestic sea going voyages, unless the member state or EEA state takes steps to defer application of the regulation to such voyages. It also adds a specific obligation to compensate for loss of or damage to mobility equipment and provides that the carrier shall make advance payment sufficient to cover immediate economic needs where the death of or personal injury to a passenger is caused by a shipping incident as defined in the Convention.
For more information, click at Circular No. 24/12
Source: The American P&I Club