Definition

Noun: * Ligan refers to goods or wreckage that have sunk to the sea floor but are intentionally marked with a buoy or other floating object so that their owner can later recover them. It is a legal term in maritime law, distinguishing such items from abandoned wreckage.

Usage

"Ligan" is a specialized term used almost exclusively in legal, maritime, or historical contexts concerning salvage rights and property lost at sea. * The ship's cargo, now ligan, was secured to the seabed with a buoy for a future salvage operation. * Under admiralty law, the court had to determine if the sunken chest was ligan or simply abandoned jetsam.

Advanced Usage

• The concept of ligan is part of a traditional legal categorization of items found at sea, which includes (goods thrown overboard to lighten a ship), (floating wreckage), and (sunken, buoyed goods).

Variants and Related Words

• Lagan: This is a variant spelling of "ligan" and is used interchangeably.
• Wreckage: The broken remains of a ship or its cargo.
• Salvage: The act of rescuing a ship or its cargo from loss at sea.

Synonyms

• Buoyed goods
• Marked wreckage

Related Terms (Maritime Law Categories)

• Flotsam: Floating wreckage or cargo.
• Jetsam: Goods deliberately thrown overboard (jettisoned) from a ship, often to lighten it in distress.
• Derelict: Property abandoned at sea without any intention of recovery.

Noun

1. goods (or wreckage) on the sea bed that is attached to a buoy so that it can be recovered