International Delegation visits the IISTL from China.

The Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law (IISTL) has always enjoyed close links with Dalian Maritime University (DMU) in the established shipping centre of Dalian, in the northern Chinese province of Liaoning.

In 2017, we celebrated 10 years of academic collaboration; over this time both institutions have benefited from repeated staff and student exchanges and a series of jointly organized events.

Recently, a delegation from DMU, including Professor Chu Beiping, Head of the DMU Law School, Associate Professor Wang Xin and Ms Yu Shihuei visited Swansea. During the visit, an academic workshop was organized to give all parties an opportunity to exchange views on the vital legal issues arising out of the development of intelligent and unmanned ships.

DMU Visit November 2019The DMU delegates with members of the IISTL

This is an area both institutions are actively working on: DMU has a Centre led by Professor Wang focusing on unmanned ships and legal regulation, while the IISTL's 14th Annual Colloquium was devoted to the subject. The DMU visit follows the visit of the Vice-Minister of the PRC's Department of Transport, Mr Me Jianzhong to the IISTL last November, and will accelerate the collaborative work that these two leading maritime centres are undertaking in this field.