Dr Matthew Attard in his capacity as President of the Malta Maritime Law Association was invited to participate at the Quaynote held on 14th March 2024. The synergy between entities and the role of digitalization were at the centre of the panel discussion entitled ‘Doing Business in Malta’, which highlighted the advantages of doing business in Malta within the competitive Superyacht scene and delved into the challenges and current projects that will enhance the success of this thriving industry.
The panel was moderated by Ms Annalise Zammit, MBR’s COO and Deputy Registrar. Further to Dr Attard, Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas, MBR’s CEO and Registrar, Mr Michael Mifsud, CEO of Yachting Malta, Mr Mark Savona, Registrar of Ships’ Assistant Registrar, Dr Ingrid Fenech, Official Receiver and MBR’s Head of Insolvency and Receivership Service, Dr Marthese Portelli CEO of the The Malta Chamber participated in the discussion.
Dr. Ann Fenech appointed on the Executive Council of the Comité Maritime International
Press Release: June, 2014
The Malta Maritime Law Association is very happy to announce that its President, Dr. Ann Fenech has been elected as one of eight Councillors on the Executive Council of the Comité Maritime International (CMI) by the Assembly of CMI held in Hamburg held yesterday. Dr. Fenech is the first Maltese person to occupy such a post.
As you are fully aware, CMI is a non-governmental international organization established in Antwerp in 1897, with the object of contributing by all appropriate means and activities to the unification of maritime law. Its members are the National Maritime Law Associations and the Malta Maritime Law Association is a very active member of CMI.
CMI has since its inception been tasked with the drafting of some of the most important International Maritime Conventions on a variety of maritime issues including limitation of liability, carriage of goods (the Hague and the Hague Visby Rules, Hamburg Rules, and Rotterdam Rules), arrest of ships, carriage of passengers, civil liability for oil pollution damage, salvage, carriage of hazardous and noxious substances etc.
Meanwhile work has continued – primarily with IMO – on a number of highly important issues including Places of Refuge for vessels in distress, Fair Treatment of Seafarers, and Guidelines for National Legislation on Piracy and serious Maritime Crime. Yesterday the Assembly also approved a Resolution approving the text of the Draft International Convention on Foreign Judicial Sales of Ships and their Recognition.
The Maltese Maritime Law Association has been extremely active through a sub committee set up on purpose and has made a number of very valid contributions to the drafting which have been adopted at the Beijing conference, the Dublin Conference and in the final draft approved yesterday at Hamburg. The MMLA was represented in Hamburg by our President Dr. Ann Fenech, Treasurer Dr. Nicky Valenzia and member Dr. Adrian Attard.
The Comité was one of the first non-governmental international organisations to be granted consultative status by the IMO (which is itself a Consultative Member of the Comité) and the CMI remains in continual contact with all other recognised international organisations concerned in any way with maritime law.
To facilitate its increasing work with subsidiary bodies of the United Nations such as UNCTAD, UNCITRAL and the Office for the Law of the Sea, the CMI has in 1997 been granted consultative status with the UN. The Comité Maritime International also has the CMI Charitable Trust which was set up in 1985 which administers funds used for the advancement of legal education for the public benefit and the advancement and promotion of research and study in the fields of comparative law and international marine and commercial law and the publication of the results of such research.
The trust assists with the financing of visiting CMI lecturers to the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) in Malta and finances the CMI Prize for the best overall student at IMLI. Last year the prize for the best overall student was won by Dr. Denise Micallef.
Dr. Fenech was also appointed as one of the 7 trustees making up the Board of Trustees of the CMI Charitable Trust.
Saving Lives of Refugees at Sea
Article, Times of Malta, 13 May, 2014.
Seminar organised by the European Maritime Law Organisation and the Malta Maritime Law Association.
See full article in pdf.
Maritime honours bestowed
Times of Malta, Sunday, June 23, 2013
The Malta Maritime Law Association (MMLA) recently joined the rest of the maritime community in Europe to celebrate European Maritime Day.
To celebrate the occasion the association organised an event during which its president, Ann Fenech, conferred, for the first time, an honorary membership on Joe Borg, former EU Commissioner, Lino Vassallo, Permanent Representative of Malta to the International Maritime Organisation and former Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, and John Sullivan, chairman of Tug Malta, for their invaluable contribution to the maritime sector.
The association was set up in 1994 with the aim of promoting the study and advancement of maritime law. The MMLA is an affiliated member of the Comité Maritime International, the oldest international organisation in the maritime field, established in 1897.
Attending the event were 74 delegates, including Economy, Investment and Small Business Minister Chris Cardona.
MMLA seminar on Updated Commercial Yacht Code
More than 70 professionals attended the Malta Maritime Law Association’s seminar on the updated Commercial Yacht Code. Malta has just issued a revision of the code which will serve the needs of the yachting industry better while allowing for its developing technological advancements in conformity with international regulations and safety standards.
After an opening address by MMLA president Ann Fenech, Karl Briffa, flag and port state control inspector at Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate explained the concept behind the Malta Commercial Code.
Launched in 2006 and amended in 2010, the code aimed to offer a proposition to owners and superyacht operators looking for a serious regulatory framework within which to register their yachts commercially. He explained how the code has been developed on industry established standards bringing together solutions for both yachts below and above 24 metres.
Commercial yachts registered under the Maltese flag has increased especially since 2006, with more than 150 yachts with an average length of 30 metres registered as commercial yachts. The Updated Commercial Yacht Code 2010 will apply to commercial yachts the keels of which are laid or which are registered under the Malta flag from January 2011.
Commercial yachts registered under the Malta Flag whose keels were laid before January 1, 2011, must comply with the requirements of the code by the first survey due on or after March 1 but by not later than December 31. Paul Cardona of Marine Industrial Consultancy Services highlighted the differences between the Maltese Code and other Codes, particularly the MCA Code.
Given his extensive experience, he was able to share instances which threw light onto the manner in which owners, yards, classification societies and various administrations need to act and interact.