Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

MARINE INSURANCE ACT 1909 - SECT 66

(1)

Subject to any express provision in the policy, there is a constructive total loss where the subject-matter insured is reasonably abandoned on account of its actual total loss appearing to be unavoidable, or because it could not be preserved from actual total loss without an expenditure which would exceed its value when the expenditure had been incurred.

(2)

In particular, there is a constructive total loss:

(a)

where the assured is deprived of the possession of his ship or goods by a peril insured against, and

(i)

it is unlikely that he can recover the ship or goods, as the case may be; or

(ii)

the cost of recovering the ship or goods, as the case may be, would exceed their value when recovered; or

(b)

in the case of damage to a ship, where she is so damaged by a peril insured against that the cost of repairing the damage would exceed the value of the ship when repaired.

In estimating the cost of repairs, no deduction is to be made in respect of general average contributions to those repairs payable by other interests, but account is to be taken of the expense of future salvage operations and of any future general average contribution to which the ship would be liable if repaired; or

(c)

in the case of damage to goods, where the cost of repairing the damage and forwarding the goods to their destination would exceed their value on arrival.