Andrew Gray and Debo Fletcher presented at the 46^th Southampton Maritime Law Short Course on September 4^th, sustaining a precedent set by Alistair Johnston and Maria Borg Barthet for over a decade, in offering an interactive case study involving a ‘collision with a difference’. 

By envisaging themselves as receiving news of a collision between a bulk carrier and a container ship within Singapore Port limits during a night out in London, participants quickly get a feel for the different interests in play and their views. Role play also allows events to be updated, as crew casualties are reported, salvors get involved and damage is assessed.

The approach lends itself to communicating liability issues and maritime law against a backdrop of urgency. It also leaves room to understand how fast-changing events quickly bring in other areas of regulation: in the scenario given, a container explodes and hour after the collision and fire spreads rapidly, while water ingress in the bulk carrier raises the risk of liquefaction.