Description

The Hague Rules continue to be the predominant international regime governing the carriage of goods by sea under bills of lading. Practicing due diligence in making the ship seaworthy is the main carrier’s obligation under this legal framework. Understood as the obligation to practice everything which is reasonable under the circumstances, making the ship seaworthy must be assessed looking at current industry standards. That gives the concept of seaworthiness an evolving character, as defined by the case law. The industry and the world economy is immersed in rapid technological development affecting hull and machinery, hatches, equipment, devices, appliances, and crew knowledge etc., mostly improved by the advances of science. From that reality, new questions arise, such as: what kind of technologies must be applied in order to make the ship seaworthy nowadays? In what situations are carriers liable for damages which could have been prevented by the application of new technology? This seminar tries to address these questions from the historical background of the standard of liability set in the Hague Rules and an analysis of the obligations set out therein.

About The Speaker

Dr Víctor H. Chacón is a Professor of Maritime Law at the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP) and a practicing lawyer before the Maritime Courts of Panama. He has a law degree from the University of Panama (2007) and a LLM (Maritime Law) summa cum laude from the Catholic University of Santa Maria of Antigua (2009). He earned his Dr Jur degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Hamburg in 2016. From 2010 to 2014, he was an associate researcher of the International Max Planck Research School for Maritime Affairs, at the University of Hamburg. His doctoral thesis has recently been published by Springer as The Due Diligence in Maritime Transportation in the Technological Era (Springer, 2017). His current research interest areas relate to the carriage of goods by sea and logistics law. He is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Maritime Law at NUS.

Who Should Attend

Maritime lawyers, in-house counsel and legal officers in the shipping industry and affiliated with shipping. Government, Registry, Port representatives and Court officers.