CONFERENCE
OVERVIEW
The Comité Maritime International
(CMI), now in its second century of promoting the
development and harmonisation of maritime laws, convenes
a full international conference every three to four
years. It has found that in the intervening years
there are often pressing and interesting issues that
could benefit from international debate. From time
to time, and regularly for the past decade, the CMI
has thus convened a colloquium for one of the years
between full conferences.
The most recent colloquia were held in Toledo and
Bordeaux, and attracted between 200 and 300 delegates
from all over the world. The gatherings of kindred
maritime spirits have on both these last occasions
sparked great debate on topical issues such as the
continuing development of a new regime for the carriage
of goods by sea, general average, marine insurance
review and reform, the liability of classification
societies, piracy and today’s most pressing topics – maritime
safety and security and the legal situation relating
to damaged and distressed ships.
As the colloquia are run more informally than the
conferences, much of the debate takes place at workshops
conducted with panellists who are international specialists
in their fields. There is ample opportunity for audience
participation
– vital for the success of the colloquium.
The South Africa Maritime Law Association submitted
a bid for Cape Town as the venue for the 2006 Colloquium
because it is one of the world’s most beautiful
and bountiful cities. Its climate
(especially in February) is Mediterranean; its new
conference facilities are up with the best in the world;
its communications infrastructure is without equal
in Africa; its scenery is breathtaking; its wine, spellbinding;
and most importantly, its people are friendly and cosmopolitan – yet
retain the warmth that is Africa. On behalf of all
African members of the CMI, South Africa is proud to
host the Comité Maritime International. |
Dr
Rosalie Balkin
Director, Legal Affairs
and External Relations,
IMO, London
Stuart Beare
CMI Observer at meetings
of
UNCITRAL Working Group on Transport Law
Michael Chalos
Fowler, Rodriguez & Chalos,
New York
Colin de la Rue
Ince & Co., London
Quintus van der Merwe
Partner,
Shepstone & Wylie
Professor Eric van Hooydonk
University of Antwerp |
Nigel
Frawley
Secretary General, CMI
Patrick Griggs CBE
Immediate Past President,
CMI and
CMI Observer at meetings of the
IMO Legal Committee
Prof Edgar Gold
AM, CM, QC, Maritime and
Shipping Law
Unit, University of Queensland, Brisbane,
Australia
Prof John Hare
Faculty of Law, University
of Cape Town;
Partner, Shepstone and Wylie, Cape Town;
Executive Councillor, CMI |
David
Hebden
Legal Consultant, London
Stuart Hetherington
Partner, Withnell, Hetherington,
Sydney,
Australia; Vice-President, CMI
Kim Jefferies
Senior Claims Executive & Legal
Adviser,
Gard P&I Club,
Arendal, Norway
Prof PK Mukherjee
ITF Professor of Maritime
Safety,
World Maritime University,
Malmö, Sweden
Andrew Pike
President, Maritime Law
Association
of South Africa |
Alfred
Popp
QC, former Chairman, IMO
Legal Committee;
Ottawa, Canada
Jean-Serge Rohart
President, CMI
Douglas Shaw
QC, Durban Bar,
South Africa
Richard Shaw
Research Fellow, University
of Southampton,
England; CMI Observer at meetings of the
IOPC Funds
Dr Gregory Timagenis
Executive Councillor, CMI |
