2. Inquiries handled by Local Marine Accidents Inquiry agencies
(1) Number of inquiries handled in the first instance
A total of 1,322 marine accidents were subject to inquiry by Local Marine Accidents Inquiry agencies in 1998, including 731 new offers submitted during the year and 591 cases carried over from 1997. Of the total, judgments were pronounced on 792 accidents, with 530 carried over to 1999.
Over the past five years, the number of offers for commencement of inquiry handled by Local Marine Accidents Inquiry agencies has varied between approximately 750 and 850. The number of judgments pronounced over the past five years has also fluctuated between approximately 750 and 850.
Table 3-1-1 Number of inquiries handled by Local Marine Accidents Inquiry agencies
(2) Number of inquiry sessions held
Excluding sessions for pronouncing judgment, 93.8% of inquiries in 1998 were completed in one session. The average number of sessions per case was 1.1, largely on a par with the 1997 level of 1.09.
(3) Duration of inquiry
Judged cases for which the duration of inquiry (i.e., the period from submission of offer for commencement of inquiry until pronouncement of judgment) was between six months and one year amounted to 313 in 1998, or 39.5% of the total, outnumbering cases of longer or shorter duration. Of the total number of judged cases, 74.4% were completed within one year. The average duration of inquiry was 9.4 months, 0.1 month shorter than the 1997 average of 9.5 months.
