Maritime law is the legal name for the body of law that governs any private disputes or other nautical issues. Also known as admiralty law, this can help with governing everything that happens on open water including shipping or offences. Legal jobs in shipping can be highly attractive but are often complex as there are multiple layers to consider depending on the Law of the Sea. Nevertheless, the roles of a lawyer or legal person in the shipping industry will typically cover regulations around registration, inspection procedures, civil matters, insurance claims, piracy, and the carriage of goods and passengers.
Alongside the International Maritime Organization (IMO), who work with the UN to help outline treaties and conventions, there are other bodies, such as the Institute of Maritime Law that have regularly helped to craft different legislations that make up maritime law. In this article, we’ll be diving into who the Institute Of Maritime Law are, what they do, and how their work impacts the shipping industry.
What Is The Institute Of Maritime Law?
Founded in 1982, the Institute Of Maritime Law (IML) has long been an institution for the shipping industry to look to for research, consultancy, and training in maritime law. They aim to build on their interest in maritime and international trade law while having experts, both academic and internal, in order to become the world-leading centre for the subject. Led by Director, Professor Andrea Lista, the Institute of Maritime Law is a part of Southampton University, although being privately funded.
What Does The Institute Of Maritime Law Do?
The IML serves a number of purposes. These include:
- World-class research within Southampton Law School, which is published in leading international Maritime Law journals.
- Consultancy as an extension of other research work. This has previously included the drafting of legislation internationally, in Europe, and nationally.
- Courses & training that are delivered to maritime companies and administrations across the globe.
The institute partners with a wide number of leading experts in the shipping law and transportation industries with their main IML fellows, including Vasanti Selvaratnam KC, David Foxton KC, Richard Lord KC, Captain Richard Pilley, and Sir Bernard Eder, amongst others. They have given talks around the world, including to the United Nations International Maritime Organization.
How Does The Institute Of Maritime Law Affect The Shipping Industry?
The shipping industry is governed by a series of legislations and regulations, many of which the Institute of Maritime Law has helped with bringing into play due to their research or consultancy.
Some of the projects that are currently active within the IML include ‘Chinese maritime code reform’ and ‘strategies for effective control of solid bulk cargo liquefaction’. Their cutting-edge research across a wide variety of maritime issues and requirements has helped to maintain a strong regulatory framework within the industry that stays up to date with quickly advancing innovations and technologies.
They can also deliver a wide variety of workshops and courses to those in the shipping industry, helping to upskill and train staff in a variety of roles.
As you can see the IML are a big influence on the shipping industry and the regulations that come into play as a direct result of their world-class research and expertise. As the shipping industry’s challenges continue to grow and become more complex, the IML are certain to run more workshops, courses and conduct more research into overcoming these challenges across the globe.
