No. 2/99 April 1999

UCTSHIPLAW.COM ON LINE
Our new www address is operational. From now on, you have no need to remember the long and complicated address of our website (though it will still function). All our pages can be reached via
uctSHIPLAW.com

1. April "Seaviews" on line -- May to follow this week.
   George Young's April edition of Seaviews is on line at
   www.uctshiplaw.com/seaviews.htm.
   This month George writes, in his inimitable style, on
   

   Changing Face of Sea Trade Sea Cruising Initiating a New Era Reduced Traffic Plight of the Greeks Half a Loaf . . . What! No Officers? Large Scale Piracy When Rigs Go Adrift Stormy Weather Risks of High Stacking

   More VLCC Transits Brisk Off-Limits Service Protracted Recession Bigger is Better? Sea Traffic Control Naval Engagement Warship Going Cheap! Closer Supervision Radar Navigation Salvage in Doubt

Don't miss George's newsletter each month. We also keep the previous month's newsletter on the site. May will be on the site by the end of this week.

2. Report-back on the MLA Annual General Meeting
   This month, the Maritime Law Association had a successful gathering of well over a hundred kindred souls - of whom 72 were delegates to the working sessions and the AGM itself. This was probably the biggest turn-out for an AGM yet.
   
   The outgoing EXCO held a meeting to start off the three day weekend. EXCO identified marine insurance, limitation of liability and a review of Admiralty procedures and the Admiralty Rules as matters for the MLA's order book for the coming year. Working groups to cover these topics will be set up over the coming weeks. The groups will try to harness the expertise and enthusiasm of MLA members outside EXCO.
   
   Friday was taken up with workshops, focussing on the electronic aspects of shipping including Y2K and EDI, a uniform ship sale order, and small claims procedures. Saturday we were treated to a paper by Nigel Meeson of the London admiralty bar, outlining UK admiralty practice and the changes which have this month been wrought by the Wolfe Report.
   
   The AGM itself was a spirited affair, with much of its time being taken up with debate on the advisability of a constitutional change to ensure that no more than 2 members of the same firm may serve on EXCO. There was little support from the floor for the formal motion as tabled, though the meeting was generally of the view that EXCO should represent as broad a spectrum of the Association's membership as is practical. Members wishing to take the issue further were invited to do so through the procedures of a Special General Meeting.
   
   Tim McClure, Michael Pampallis and Andy Robinson were elected to EXCO. Their contact details are on the MLA page at www.uctshiplaw.com/samla/exco.htm.
   
3. The CMI
   The CMI Assembly will take place in New York on Saturday 8 May. John Hare, Johan Swart and John Dyason will be there to represent the MLA. They will be in New York to join in the centenary celebration of the US MLA. We will report on the US MLA and the CMI in our May Bulletin.
   
4. Website Update
   • We have added to the site Jeb Clulow's LLM dissertation on Multimodal Transport in SA. Jeb can be contacted at clulow@icon.co.za.
   • The alumni pages are growing steadily. If any of our marine and shipping law graduates have news they would like to share, please go to www.uctshiplaw.com/alumsite.htm. There you will also find contact e-mail addresses for UCT marine and shipping law graduates.
   • Remember that most SA shipping law source materials are on our site. Legislation, conventions etc. If there are documents which you would like to see included, please let us know. Our www.uctshiplaw.com/shiplink.htm page is a wealth of reference to guide you across the www to useful sites. Please help us build it.
   • We will this week be adding the ASABOSA terms. These standard trading conditions of the Association of SA Brokers and Ship's Agents have remained unchanged since 1984. Go to www.uctshiplaw.com/asabosa.htm.
     
5. Shipping Law & Admiralty Jurisdiction in South Africa Published
   John Hare's textbook Shipping Law & Admiralty Jurisdiction in South Africa will be published by Juta & Co in the first week of May. Details are on our site at www.uctshiplaw.com/books.htm. From 1 May the book page will have a link to Juta's electronic ordering facility. Updates of the book will be published regularly on our pages at www.uctshiplaw.com/booknew.htm . This is likely to be especially useful in the field of admiralty jurisdiction and practice, where so much law is still being made by the courts.

Return to Top