2 The Nature and Scope of the Modern Admiralty Action

2.01 The Admiralty jurisdiction of the High Court, assigned by s 62(2) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 to the Admiralty Court,1 is delineated in s 20(1) of that Act as follows: 2.02 In setting out the scope of Admiralty jurisdiction, the Senior Courts Act 1981 distinguishes between actions in rem and in personam. Thus s 21(1) provides that, subject to s 22, an action in personam may be brought in the High Court in all cases within its Admiralty jurisdiction. The facility to proceed in rem, on the other hand, is limited to maritime claims, and the identity of the...