Port of Refuge

A port of refuge is a port the ship deviates to in order to deal with a peril (heavy-weather damage, fire, machinery failure, shifted cargo) before resuming the voyage. The call is usually a justified deviation under Article IV Rule 4 of the Hague-Visby Rules and a classic general-average act, since the expenses of entering, staying, and leaving are incurred for the common safety. The grant of refuge interacts with the IMO Places of Refuge Guidelines, which address the separate coastal-state decision whether to admit a ship in distress.