The Malta Maritime Law Association (MMLA) is a non-profit making, voluntary organisation which was set up in 1994 with the aim of promoting the study and advancement of Maritime Law and its administration. With its expertise the MMLA plays a key role in ensuring that the Maltese maritime legislative and regulatory infrastructure is constantly updated, revised, amended and improved in a pro-active and well researched manner, in order to enhance qualitative standards as well as to further consolidate Malta’s pre-eminent position as an international maritime services centre.
Even though a law association, the MMLA is composed of members from the various sectors in the maritime environment and thus provides a forum for the discussion of topical matters in the maritime field. At present the MMLA has 137 members.
In 2002 an agreement was signed with the then Malta Maritime Authority (today Transport Malta (TM)) establishing that the MMLA shall act as a consultant and advisor to the Merchant Shipping Directorate within TM and foster channels of communication between the authority and the industry.
The MMLA reflects a high degree of maritime legal expertise, also through its affiliation with the Comité Maritime International (CMI). CMI is the oldest international organisation in the maritime field, and was formally established in 1897 in Antwerp. Through the participation of the MMLA, Malta is represented at high profile CMI meetings and can make its voice heard at the negotiating and drafting table of very important international legal instruments.
In 2014, MMLA President Dr Ann Fenech was nominated and elected to the CMI Executive Council. This was the first time that a Maltese person has been elected to this highly prestigious international body. Dr Fenech has been reelected to the CMI Executive Council in 2017 and was elected Vice President of the CMI by the General Assembly in November 2018 in London after having been suggested for nomination by Ireland and Sweden (For more information please read our article here).
Over the past years the MMLA has focused substantially on the organisation of seminars on topical issues, some of them addressed by international most prominent persons associated with the subject. (Please see our Past Events page for more details)
The MMLA is a member of the Malta Maritime Forum (MMF) with Dr Ann Fenech sitting on its Board of Directors. The MMF was founded in 2015 as a common platform intended to represent the local maritime industry. It is chaired by former European Commissioner Dr Joe Borg.
A representative of the MMLA has been invited to sit on the Board of Directors of Malta Marittima, a Government agency that brings together government and industry stakeholders to promote the continued and enhanced development of the marine and maritime industries in the Maltese Islands.
Last updated: June 2019
See also: MMLA Statute