If the vessel is reported missing, the assured may claim for a total loss when three months have elapsed from the date on which the vessel was, at the latest, expected to arrive at a port. If the vessel is reported missing under circumstances that give reason to assume that it is icebound and will subsequently be recovered, the time-limit is twelve months.
If the vessel has been abandoned by the crew at sea without its subsequent fate being known, the assured may claim for a total loss when three months have elapsed from the day when the vessel was abandoned. If it was abandoned because it was icebound, the time-limit is twelve months. If the vessel has been seen after being abandoned, the time-limit runs from the day on which it was last seen.
If, before expiry of the time-limit mentioned in sub-clauses 1 and 2, it is clear that the assured will not recover the vessel, he may at once claim for a total loss.
If the time-limit has expired and the assured has submitted a claim for a total loss, the insurer may not reject the claim because the vessel is subsequently recovered.