Legal Definitions - lagan

Definition: Lagan refers to goods that are abandoned at sea but attached to a buoy so that they may be recovered. It can also refer to wreckage or cargo lying on the seabed.

Examples:

• A fishing net that has become detached from a boat and is floating in the water is considered lagan.
• If a ship sinks and some of its cargo remains attached to a buoy, that cargo is also considered lagan.
• In the past, pirates would sometimes intentionally sink ships and then wait for the lagan to float to the surface so they could steal it.

The examples illustrate how lagan refers to goods or cargo that have been abandoned or lost at sea but are still recoverable. It is important to note that lagan is different from flotsam, jetsam, and waveson, which refer to different types of abandoned goods at sea.