On the evening of 23 October 2025, the Centre for Maritime Law (CML) held its 8th Singapore Shipping Law Forum. Professor Michael Bridge Hon KC FBA was the keynote speaker. Over 120 participants from Singapore’s maritime and legal community attended the event. Professor Stephen Girvin, MPA Professor of Maritime Law and Director of CML, gave the opening address and outlined Professor Bridge’s extensive academic journey, beginning in Blackpool and progressing through institutions such as the London School of Economics and the National University of Singapore.

CML was pleased to host a downtown seminar on 18 September 2025 by Dr Sanam Saidova, Visiting Senior Fellow at the NUS Faculty of Law, where she has been teaching Trade Finance Law. Dr Saidova is an Assistant Professor in Law at the University of Nottingham and gave a presentation to researchers and legal practitioners specialising in maritime and aviation law.

CML was delighted to host Dr Filip Šaranović, Senior Lecturer in Shipping Law at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London, who delivered a seminar on 'Anti-Suit Injunctions: Legitimate Expectations, Comity and Egoistic Paternalism' on 04 September 2025. Dr Šaranović's research interests encompass both wet and dry shipping, as well as the conflict of laws and enforcement of maritime claims. He serves as the Director of the International Maritime Law LLM programme, the Director of the Insurance, Shipping and Aviation Law Institute (ISALI). The seminar, held in downtown Singapore, was attended by various maritime law practitioners and academics and was moderated by Professor Stephen Girvin, MPA Professor of Maritime Law and Director of CML.

Visiting Professor James Davey conducted CML’s first AY25/26 public seminar on 28 August 2025 titled, “Fair Presentation of the Risk in the Twenty-First Century” at The Executive Centre, Level 4, Ocean Financial Centre. Professor James Davey, a Professor of Law at the University of Bristol and President of the British Insurance Law Association, provided an overview of the changes brought about by the Insurance Act 2015 (UK) and introduced the various choice of law arrangements adopted by the marine insurance industry as well as recent decisions that showcased how the courts dealt with the question of inducement. The seminar was moderated by Professor Stephen Girvin, MPA Professor of Maritime Law and Director of CML.

Calling all undergraduate and JD students taking (or who have taken or intend to take) Carriage of Goods by Sea, or Admiralty Law & Practice, or Charterparties, International Commercial Arbitration, Law of Marine Insurance, or Maritime Law to participate in the prestigious International Maritime Law Arbitration Mooting Competition (IMLAM) 2026 that will be held at the University of Sydney in July 2026. Team members will be awarded 4-units for their written memoranda for the moot (by way of LL4203 International Moots and Other Competitions in Semester II). Students selected for the team will be registered for this elective. Deadline for interviews: 1 September 2025.

The Centre for Maritime Law (CML) congratulates our former Research Associate, Elson Ong, on being conferred his PhD at the National University of Singapore on 11 July 2025. Dr Elson Ong ’25 completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Stephen Girvin, Centre Director of CML and MPA Professor of Maritime Law. His thesis topic was: ‘Digitalising Commercial Shipping: The Relevance of Trust’, and he was examined by Professor Jason Chuah FRSA SFHEA and Professor (elect) Simone Lamont-Black.

NUS Law congratulates Lin Jiasheng ’25, Nur Namirah Binte Abdul Rahim ’25, Jeremy Lok Jie Kang ’26 and Bryan Liow Jia Rong ’26, who represented NUS Law at the 25th International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM) competition held from 6th to 11th July 2025 (IMLAM 2025) in Sydney. The NUS Law team fought their way to the Grand Finals, where they emerged as the runners-up. Dedi Affandi bin Ahmad ’10, Partner at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, a member of the victorious NUS team in 2010, coached the team, assisted by Wu Muyu ’22, a former IMLAM team member and member of the runner-up team in 2022, now Associate at Incisive Law LLC, and Wong Weitao ’22, Associate at Helmsman LLC.

This paper examines the mechanism of appeals in arbitration and the way it is being deployed by parties in different sectors. Section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 permits appeals on points of law under strict requirements, ensuring the intervention of courts only in limited cases to preserve and guarantee the finality of arbitral awards. The observation of a representative body of case law reveals a tendency to misuse appeals and present questions of fact as questions of law.

The Centre for Maritime Law (CML) at NUS Law is pleased to be a supporting organisation of the Twenty Third International Congress of Maritime Arbitrators (ICMA XXIII) which take place in Singapore 22-27 March 2026, after almost 20 years.  Established in 1972, the International Congress of Maritime Arbitrators (ICMA) has served as a cornerstone event in the calendar of maritime arbitrators and maritime professionals globally to exchange views and news of professional interest. The 23 edition of this event is hosted by the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA). Proposals to present papers at ICMA XXIII are accordingly now invited.

On 15 May 2025, the Centre for Maritime Law (CML) at the National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law, hosted the CML Short Course on Shipping Law Update: Cases in 2024 at the M Hotel. Professor Stephen Girvin, MPA Professor of Maritime Law and Director of CML, delivered the seminar, attended by 45 legal practitioners and shipping professionals.

CML was pleased to have one of its Advisory Board members, Mr Daryll Ng, a partner at Virtus Law and Managing Partner of the Stephenson Harwood Singapore office, giving a speech on ‘Maritime law as a passion, as a practice and as a business' at the end-of-term event.

The Centre of Maritime Law (CML) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law is delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IG P&I) on 22 April 2025 at the IG headquarters in London. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in promoting academic and educational exchange within the maritime field by the two organisations.