CML participates in CMI RIO Colloquium 2026

CML Director Professor Stephen Girvin gave a presentation at the CMI Rio Colloquium hosted by the Comité Maritime International (CMI) and the Brazilian Maritime Law Association (Associação Brasileira de Direito Marítimo – ABDM) and held at the Windsor Barra Hotel in Rio de Janeiro from 12-15 May 2026 https://www.cmi2026brazil.org/.  The event brought together around 400 delegates from across the global maritime law community, providing the space, platform, and canvas for the drafting of laws, guidelines, and other documentation to assist legislators in various countries in navigating today’s complex maritime legal waters.

Also in attendance was our LLM (Maritime Law) alumnus, Patricia Winter (’24), a native of Rio de Janeiro.

During the Academics Session, Stephen, who is also the MPA Professor of Maritime Law at NUS Law, spoke on the CML’s flagship CML CMI Database on Judicial Decisions on International Conventions https://cmlcmidatabase.org/, which was in its tenth year. He traced the background of the Database, which began with an invitation from Emeritus Professor John Hare, then Secretary-General of the CMI. CML formalised its collaboration with the CMI in 2017, with the agreement renewed in 2022, and continues to undertake work on the Database under the General Editorship of Professor Paul Myburgh, Adjunct Research Professor in CML.

Stephen’s presentation highlighted the Database’s continued growth and global reach, noting that it now contains 2,808 cases and counting. He shared insights into usage trends, including the countries with the highest number of users, as well as demographic data such as age and gender.

His presentation also referred to a range of interesting database facts, such as oldest case (The HMS Archer [1919] P 1, CMI2687 (Collision Convention 1910)) and the three most accessed cases (Magallona v Ermita, (2011) GR No 187167, CMI1564, Sup Ct Manila (UNCLOS); MV Elisabeth v Harwan Investment & Trading Pvt Ltd AIR 1993 SC 1014, CMI1883, Sup Ct India (Arrest Convention 1952); and Pyrene Co Ltd v Scindia Navigation Co Ltd [1954] 2 QBD 402, CMI2100 (Hague Rules)).

Stephen noted that the Database is not merely of theoretical or academic interest but has proved to be of great practical utility, being used by courts and judges (even in civil jurisdictions, where case law does not create a system of binding precedent). Finally, he noted that the statistics showed that the Database is being heavily used by users under 34, suggesting a bright future for the Database and the CMI.

Related Links:

• CML CMI Database on Judicial Decisions on International Conventions
• Stephen Girvin, Director of CML and MPA Professor of Maritime Law at NUS Law
• Paul Myburgh, General Editor of CML CMI Database and  Adjunct Research Professor, NUS Law
• CMI Rio Colloquium 2026