In order to seize a ship, first of all, an appropriate application must be filed with the court (or a similar institution of competent judicial authority – depending on the legal system of the country in which the ship is located), since the ship can be seized only by a decision of such a body.
The very proceedings related to the arrest of the vessel, obtaining a decision and all procedural matters related to the seizure, as previously indicated, are governed by the law of that state-party to the Convention in which the seizure was made or requested. Therefore, it is impossible to describe in general terms the various stages of the ship’s arrest. The procedure leading to seizure will look different in each country.
