Dr Víctor Hugo Chacón was, until 2018, professor at the Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP). He has also been a practising maritime lawyer for over 13 years before the Maritime Courts of the Republic of Panama, handling claims related to cargo losses and damages, personal injuries, ship suppliers and ship collisions, among others. He has a law degree from the University of Panamá and an LLM in Maritime Law, summa cum laude, from the Catholic University of Santa Maria of Antigua. He earned his Dr Jur degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Hamburg/International Max Planck Research School for Maritime Affairs in 2016. His doctoral dissertation was published in 2017 by Springer as The Due Diligence in Maritime Transportation in the Technological Era.
Víctor was a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in CML from 4 April 2018 to 1 August 2018. He joined the CML as Senior Research Fellow on 4 February 2019.
Presentations
- “Owner’s Liability for Oil Pollution”, Lecture for the third session of the International Law of the Sea Academy, Kadir Hass University, 6 July 2021
- “The Enforcement of Bunker’s Suppliers Claims under Singapore Law”, CML Seminar, NUS Law, 3 March 2021
- “Singapore, Maritime Development and Conflict Resolution”, Seminar (Zoom), Universidad del Pacífico, Ecuador, 25 September 2020
- “Maritime Liens for Pollution at Sea”, CML Seminar, NUS Law, 29 July 2020
- “Recent Developments in the law of Maritime Liens”, CML Lunch Seminar, NUS Law, 8 October 2019.
- “Maritime Claims and Arrest of Ships”, The International Law of the Sea Academy, Kadir Hass University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2 August 2019
- “Liability of Shipowners and Limitation of Liability”, The International Law of the Sea Academy, Kadir Hass University, Istanbul, Turkey, 1 August 2019
- “Web Portals and Data Sharing by Ocean Carriers”, CML Lunch Seminar, NUS Law, 17 April 2019
- “Comparative Study of the Ship Arrest System in Panama”, Supreme Court of Justice and the Maritime Courts of Appeals of Panama, Panama City, 21 March 2019
- “Due Diligence in Maritime Transportation and Technological Disruptions”, Panama Maritime XIV World Conference & Exhibition, Panama City, 19 March 2019
- “Shipping Law Updates and Ship Arrest in the Maritime Courts of Panama”, Roundtable series by Duane Morris & Selvam, Singapore 5 July 2018
Selected Publications
Articles
- “Bunker suppliers’ insolvencies: time to reconsider maritime liens?” [2022] LMCLQ 437-466
- “Ship Arrest in the Republic of Panama and its Harmonization with International Law”, (2019) 50 Journal of Maritime Law & Commerce 185-234
Books
- The Due Diligence in Maritime Transportation in the Technological Era (Springer, 2017)
Book Chapters
- “Web Portals and Data Sharing by Ocean Carriers”, in Stephen Girvin and Vibe Ulfbeck (eds), Maritime Organisation, Management and Liability: A Legal Analysis of New Challenges in the Maritime industry (Hart Publishing, 2021) 223-254
Working Papers
- Maritime Liens
- Data Sharing by Ocean Carriers
- Carriage of Goods by Sea
- Seaworthiness and Technology
- Enforcement of Maritime Claims
- Digitalization in the Shipping Sector
- Pollution at Sea
Research Project
Recent Developments in the Law of Maritime Liens
Maritime liens are the most effective instrument for securing the claims of creditors. The rights of such maritime lienees become particularly relevant when other creditors, such as mortgagees, also seek a remedy against the same shipowners. The evolution of international trade, the prospect of the introduction of new technologies in the shipping industry and the bankruptcy of large bunker suppliers in recent years have put maritime liens under renewed scrutiny. This comparative study addresses developments in the law of maritime liens in five major jurisdictions: the UK, Singapore, Germany, Panama, and the USA.
