396Limitation of actions

396 Limitation of actions

(1) No action shall be maintainable to enforce any claim or lien against a ship or its owners in respect of any damage or loss to another ship, its cargo or freight, or any property on board the ship, or damage for loss of life or personal injuries suffered by any person on board the ship, caused by the fault of the former ship, whether such ship be wholly or partly in fault, or in respect of any salvage services, unless proceedings therein are commenced within 2 years from the date when the damage or loss or injury was caused or the salvage services rendered were terminated. (2) No action shall be maintainable under this Act to enforce any contribution in respect of an over‑paid proportion of any damages for loss of life or personal injuries unless proceedings therein are commenced within one year from the date of payment. (3) Any Court having jurisdiction to deal with an action to which this section relates may, in accordance with the rules of court, extend any period mentioned in this section to such an extent and on such conditions as it thinks fit. (4) For the purposes of this section, the expression “freight” includes passage money and hire, and reference to damage or loss caused by the fault of a ship shall be construed as including references to any salvage or other expenses consequent upon that fault, recoverable at law by way of damages.