Last week Ann Fenech, Head of the Marine Litigation Department at Fenech & Fenech, in her capacity as President of the Comité Maritime International, headed a CMI delegation at the Legal Committee of the IMO – Leg 113.

The week coincided with a week of heightened tensions in the Straits of Hormuz which dominated the Agenda with the Secretary General of the IMO underlining that the most important consideration was the welfare of the thousands of seafarers which are being effected.

The Legal Committee also approved a new set of Guidelines for Ship Registration, the first of their kind, providing guidance to emerging registries on the standards expected in ship registration and agreed to continue to work on fraudulent registration. High up on the Agenda was Decarbonisation and future work related to liability for damages caused by alternative fuels used as bunkers.

During the week, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany also signed the 2010 HNS Protocol.