ABSTRACT
The accident of the container ship MSC Napoli, which was beached off Devon, was enough to draw the attention of the public. The problems of the incident of the MSC Napoli have been discussed in conjunction with the shortcomings of the maritime actors. There are, in fact, ways in which shipping casualties such as the Napoli can be prevented. This chapter focuses on whether or not the international community could prevent a repeat of the incident. First, with respect to flag State control or jurisdiction, the flag State should commit itself to more vigorously enforcing international rules and standards for vessels flying its flag. Secondly, the international community must ensure that classification societies should not be free from responsibility if ships that they inspected and classed have been involved in a shipping accident. In this regard, the international community should establish strict procedures to ensure that culprits are enjoined under 'a chain of responsibility' from getting away with it.
