Allision (ship striking a fixed structure)
A moving ship striking a fixed object, bridge, quay, platform or lock, as distinct from a collision between two ships, which engages the shipowner's liability and its P&I club cover.
Maritime law distinguishes collision, between two ships, from allision, where a ship strikes a fixed or floating object that is not a ship: a bridge pier, quay, jetty, buoy or oil platform. The distinction matters for insurance. The collision clause in hull policies often covers part of the liability in a collision, whereas damage to fixed structures generally falls to the P&I club. Allision engages the shipowner's liability toward the structure's owner, but also toward affected third parties: victims, operators cut off from access, public authorities, with economic losses that can far exceed the value of the structure. The shipowner then invokes limitation of liability, whose amount depends on tonnage and the applicable regime, and claimants try to break it by proving personal fault, for example a known failure of propulsion or electrical power.
On March 26, 2024, the container ship Dali struck a pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after losing electrical power; the bridge collapsed, six workers died, and the owner asked US courts to limit its liability to about 43.7 million dollars.
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