Visby reported to have 12,000 active merchants

Marine insurance principle (spreading risk) became part of trade

Judgements (Rolls) of Oleron promulgated

Masters required to consult crew before sailing

Recognition of dangers in Bay of Biscay and western Channel

13th Century

1258: Barcelona publishes Consulate del Mare

Written in Catalan

About 300 chapters

Regulated crew provisions (salt meat, bread, vegetables, oil, wine, water)

13th / 14th Century

Hanseatic League of more than 60 cities active

Included Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen

Dominated trade north and east of Thames/Rhine line

Smaller ships and shorter voyages common

Shared ownership of vessels

14th Century

Ancient Maritime Code of Visby produced

Incorporated provisions from Judgements of Oleron

Maritime law becoming more structured

18th Century

1705: Barcelona Ordinances translated into Dutch

Rhodian Law and Judgements of Oleron combined in England

Included in the Black Book of the Admiralty

Earlier medieval regulations still influencing practice nearly 500 years later

Ships were generally smaller.

Voyages were shorter.

Ships were often owned in partnership, meaning several people shared ownership of one or more vessels.

Cargo was divided into smaller parcels and spread across several ships.

This system reduced individual risk and created cooperation between merchants and shipowners. Instead of one large centralized structure, it worked through shared ownership, cooperation, and spreading cargo between vessels.