Description

The arrest of ships is the most powerful and efficient instrument for the enforcement of maritime claims. The maritime courts of the Republic of Panama have, for decades, provided a judicial service to claimants from the maritime industry from all around the world. Composed of two specialized maritime courts equipped with an effective and well-balanced ship arrest system, it has jurisdiction over the more than 20,000 vessels that pass through the Panama Canal or call at Panamanian ports every year. Owing to the recent expansion of the waterway, and a general improvement in the logistics sector, the number of vessels passing through or calling at ports in this jurisdiction is rapidly increasing. As the locus of the largest ship registry in the world, the maritime courts also have jurisdiction over the more than 8,000 vessels registered in Panama. As Panama has the highest number of ship arrests in the growing Latin-American region, how to arrest a ship or how to defend a ship from an arrest there, is essential information for any major player in the international maritime industry.

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 was published by Springer as The Due Diligence in Maritime Transportation in the Technological Era (Springer, 2017). His current research interests concern the carriage of goods by sea and logistics law. He is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow and an Academic Fellow of 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.