Due to COVID19 a number of measures needed to be urgently addressed which incidentally affected the shipping industry. A common concern on the minds of many individuals within the shipping sector has been in relation to the closure of the courts and flag administrations around the world. To address this pertinent issue, the Comité Maritime International (CMI) has issued a brief questionnaire to all Maritime Law Associations around the world addressing 6 basic questions namely (A) whether the courts in that jurisdiction are open and functioning normally? (B) If such courts are not functioning normally, whether there are any exceptions to the arrest of ships and/or other injunctive or enforcement procedures available? (C) Whether the judicial sale of ships can still take place? D) The length of closure of the courts? (E) Whether the flag registry in that jurisdiction is operating normally in relation to the registration of ships and registration of mortgages and naturally their deletion and finally (F) Whether that flag administration has issued any special exemptions for the period of the Pandemic?

All updates in this regard may be seen on the designated COVID19 webpage accessed through the website of the Comité Maritime International on www.comitemaritime.org.

News item written by Dr Sean Xerri de Caro.

For more information on Court Procedures in Malta and updates with regards the Maltese Flag Administration kindly contact Dr Robert Tufigno on rtufigno@gtgadvocates.com or Dr Sean Xerri de Caro on sxerridecaro@gtgadvocates.com.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to impart legal advice and readers are asked to seek verification of statements made before acting on them.