ABSTRACT
Subject to the master’s responsibility for safety 18.5 The master’s obligation to accomplish his voyages by the most direct route is subject to
his responsibility for the safety of ship, crew and cargo. Faced with dangerous weather conditions or other hazards of navigation he may, therefore, be entitled or even obliged to depart from the most direct route-just as he may or even must then disobey a routing order from the
page 160. But, as Lord Hobhouse pointed out, at page 157, a master’s preference for calm waters does not justify departure from the most direct route; ships are designed and should be maintained to sail through (normal) heavy weather.
