M/V “Tokei Maru”: Would the Actions of her Brave Master Consist General Average?

Abstract

On Saturday, 9th September, 1922, the Turkish army entered Smyrna, the richest and most cosmopolitan city in the Ottoman Empire. The city's vast wealth created centuries earlier by powerful dynasties, its factories teemed with Greeks, Armenians, Turks, and Jews. Together, they had created – a predominantly Christian and Greek city – that was unique in the greater Islamic world. But to the majority of Turkish nationalists, Smyrna and its Christian population was a city of infidels that should be ethnically and religiously cleansed. At Smyrna, the Japanese had been the only country to send ships to rescue refugees from the slaughter. Purpose of this article is to examine the marine insurance aspects of the story relating to the “TOKEI MARU”, a Japanese steamship, and her brave captain who, by emptying her cargo holds, rescued more than 800 people and brought them to safety at the port of Piraeus. The authors examine the jettisoning of above vessel’s cargo in exchange for saving Greek refugees in light of the General Average principle.