This second volume in the series focuses on electronic evidence – what it is, how to preserve and collect it, and how it can be used to understand the circumstances that led to a maritime incident.
While not completely replacing traditional records, such as hard-copy logbooks, data from electronic sources such as ECDIS, VDR and AIS is vital for the investigator. Admiralty Judge Mr Justice Teare pointed out that the great benefit of such evidence is that “electronic or digital records cannot lie or have a faulty or imperfect recollection. They will be the best evidence of what happened.”
The book’s contributors are drawn from a wide range of disciplines. Among the subjects they discuss are the roles of the average adjuster and the mariner lawyer, evidence collection from the P&I perspective and that of the naval architect, and fire, deterioration of agricultural cargoes, machinery failure and surveying.
Introducing the volume, Capt Ian McNaught CVO MNM FNI, Deputy Master of Trinity House, emphasised, “It is imperative that seafarers understand the need for accurate evidence after an accident on board ship.”
To purchase a copy of ‘Guidelines for Collecting Maritime Evidence, Volume 2’, visit https://bit.ly/2k7ly1M (price £50, NI Members £35)
This addition can also be bought with ‘Guidelines for Collecting Maritime Evidence, Volume 1, for £90.00 (NI members £63.00).