美国海难救助制度的新发展——以若干历史性沉船救助案例为视角的研究

The New Development of Salvage Law in the United States:Perspective from Salvage of Historic Shipwrecks

海难救助制度的初衷是鼓励人们救助在海上面临丧失危险的货物或船舶,从而保全货物或船舶所有人的利益。美国一些联邦法院频繁地将该制度扩大适用于针对历史性沉船的捞救诉讼,并针对这种诉讼的特点作了一定的改进,使传统的救助制度在救助对象、适用的法律、授予独占打捞权和确定救助报酬时所考虑的因素等方面出现了一些新发展。这虽有利于重大考古发现的产生,但可能严重破坏沉船的考古和文化价值,更可取的做法是在考古界和打捞界达成一定的平衡,在一定的条件下允许打捞机构介入历史性沉船的打捞。

The law of salvage was initially designed to encourage salvage of cargo or ships in marine peril in the interest of the owner.Recently,salvage law has been modified and extended to salvage of historic ships by some federal courts in U.S.For one thing,such extension may contribute to important archaeologicial discoveries.For another,it may cause serious damage to archaeologic and cultural information contained in the site.The author submits that commercial interests of the salvage community and archaeological interests of the archeologists be ballanced,and salvage groups may be allowed to take part in the excavation of historic shipwreks in certain specified conditions,which may help to preserve historic shipwrecks.