IISTL Hosts Successful 15th Annual Colloquium

The Law School’s Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law (IISTL) hosted a remarkable Colloquium on 12-13th September.

The event was devoted to Ship Operations, and as ever, provided a high-powered forum for academics, lawyers and industry experts to hear papers and discuss large numbers of crucial issues for contemporary shipping law. These included:

  • The effect of the sulphur cap,
  • Bunker supply and payment problems,
  • Ship management issues,
  • Cyber risks and liabilities,
  • Ship arrest and insolvency,
  • Sanctions, and the concern over the creeping tendency, in some jurisdictions, to criminalise the actions of ordinary seafarers.

The speakers and audience alike pulled no punches in promoting their points of view, joining the event from several nations, including representation from the UK, Europe and the Far East.

Speakers included IISTL stalwarts, Professors Baughen, Soyer, Tettenborn, Thomas and Williams, plus Associate Professor Leloudas and Dr Kurtz-Shefford. This year's event also saw many speaking for the first time at the Colloquium, including: Rory Macfarlane of Ince & Co; Daniel Martin of HFW; Michael Biltoo of Kennedys Marine; Professor Olivier Cachard of Lorraine University, France; Professor Henrik Ringbom from the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law in Oslo; Professor Bülent Sözer from Piri Reis University, Turkey; Associate Professor Frank Stevens of Erasmus University, Rotterdam; Sir Bernard Eder, International Judge of the Singapore International Court; Grant Hunter of BIMCO; Monica Kohli from Gard; and John Weale from FEDNAV in Canada.

The event was very kindly sponsored by Informa Law (Routledge), who have an excellent and long-standing relationship with the IISTL, and who have agreed to publish the papers given at the event in book format. We are enormously grateful for everything they have done for us and cannot thank them enough.

Eder Panel IISTL ColloquiumSir Bernard presenting his paper at the Colloquium. The others in the Panel (left to right) were Dr Stevens, Professors Williams and Tettenborn.

Olivier Panel IISTL ColloquiumFrom left to right, Dr Kurtz-Shefford, Professor Olivier Cachard and Mr Rory Macfarlane.