Flotsam and jetsam

In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict describe specific kinds of wreck. Historically the words had specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences.

There is a technical difference between the two most commonly-known terms, Flotsam and Jetsam:
* Flotsam describes goods that are floating on the water without having been thrown in deliberately, often after a shipwreck, while
* Jetsam has been voluntarily cast into the sea (jettisoned) by the crew of a ship, usually in order to lighten it in an emergency.
* Ligan (or lagan), describes goods that have been marked by being tied to a buoy so that its owner can find and retrieve it later.
* Derelict is property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it. This includes vessels and cargo.

Legal consequences

The differences among flotsam, jetsam, and ligan are of consequence in the law of admiralty and marine salvage, see., e.g., “Receiver of Wreck”. Generally speaking, jetsam is the property of the finder, while flotsam remains the property of its original owner.

(Source: Wikipedia)

@1 year ago