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🌊 '''Jettison''' is the deliberate throwing overboard of cargo, equipment, or other property from a vessel in order to lighten it or stabilize it during an emergency at sea, and it constitutes one of the oldest recognized perils in [[Definition:Marine insurance | marine insurance]]. The act must be intentional and carried out for the common safety of the voyage — distinguishing it from accidental loss overboard, which is covered as a separate peril. In insurance terms, jettison appears as a named peril in all three levels of the [[Definition:Institute cargo clauses (ICC) | Institute Cargo Clauses]] and in the [[Definition:Institute time clauses — hulls (ITC) | Institute Time Clauses — Hulls]], reflecting its fundamental status in maritime risk.

⚖️ When goods are jettisoned, the resulting loss typically triggers a [[Definition:General average (GA) | general average]] declaration, because the sacrifice is made voluntarily for the benefit of the entire maritime adventure. The GA adjuster values the jettisoned property and allocates a proportional contribution across all interests that were saved — the ship, the remaining cargo, and freight at risk. The owner of the jettisoned goods recovers from their own [[Definition:Cargo insurance | cargo insurer]] under the policy's jettison or GA provisions, while the owners of the saved cargo and the vessel fund their respective GA contributions, often through their own [[Definition:Insurance policy | insurance policies]]. If no general average is declared — for example, because only the shipowner's own property was sacrificed — the loss may instead be treated as a [[Definition:Particular average | particular average]] claim under the relevant hull or cargo policy.

🔑 Although modern shipping technology and vessel design have reduced the frequency of jettison compared to the age of sail, the peril retains practical importance. Container ships facing stability crises — whether from parametric rolling, cargo shift, or structural flooding — may still require the deliberate discharge of containers to prevent capsize or foundering. High-profile incidents involving the loss of thousands of containers at sea have underscored the continuing relevance of jettison provisions and their intersection with [[Definition:General average (GA) | general average]] law. For [[Definition:Underwriting | underwriters]] and [[Definition:Claims | claims]] professionals, distinguishing between intentional jettison and accidental loss overboard (sometimes called "washing overboard") is a critical step in determining which policy provisions apply and how the loss is allocated across the marine insurance ecosystem.

'''Related concepts:'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Definition:General average (GA)]]
* [[Definition:Marine insurance]]
* [[Definition:Institute cargo clauses (ICC)]]
* [[Definition:Particular average]]
* [[Definition:Cargo insurance]]
* [[Definition:Salvage]]
{{Div col end}}

Definition:Jettison - Revision history

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