Database & conventions

CML CMI Database of Judicial Decisions on International Conventions

https://law.nus.edu.sg/cmlcmidatabase/

Introduction

“Our object was to give to the sea, which is the natural tie between the nations, the benefit of a uniform law, which will be rational, deliberated, equitable in its inception and practical in its text. We have considered that in our work, the shipowner, the merchant, the underwriter, the average adjuster, the banker, the parties directly interested should have the leading part: that the task of the lawyer was to discern what in this maritime community was the general feeling, which, among these divergent interests, is common to all; to discern also which of the various solutions is the best; to contribute to the common work his science and his experience, but that ultimately the lawyer should hold the pen and that the man of practice should dictate the solutions.” (Louis Franck)

The CMI has, since its inception in 1897, played a major leading role in driving the international harmonization of maritime law. In February 2017, the CMI entered into a formal collaboration with the Centre for Maritime Law of the National University of Singapore (CML) to create an electronic database of all the case law decisions arising from all the international conventions and protocols and other international uniform instruments sponsored by the CMI.

The Database, the CML CMI Database of Judicial Decisions on International Conventions, is intended to make these decisions more accessible to the worldwide maritime community, in the hope that this will foster comparative research and uniformity of interpretation of international maritime law. The database builds on the foundation laid by Professor Francesco Berlingieri in an earlier CMI Database of Jurisprudence on Maritime Conventions (which may be accessed here).

The Database digests cases in the English language only, as the language most often used in maritime contracts and in the maritime industry globally. The Database includes PDF and other cross-references to the full case judgment, where available.

Instruments

The CMI and CML have invited all national maritime law associations to make submissions to the Database in relation to the following instruments:
Arrest Conventions 1952 / 1999
Athens Convention 1974
CLC Conventions 1969-1992
CMI Uniform Rules for Sea Waybills
Collision Convention 1910
Collision (Civil Jurisdiction) Convention 1952
Fund Conventions 1971-1992
Hague Rules
Hague-Visby Rules
Hamburg Rules
LLMC 1957 / 1976 / 1996
Maritime Liens and Mortgages Conventions 1926 / 1967 / 1993
Salvage Conventions 1910 / 1989
SUA Convention 1988
UNCLOS 1982
York-Antwerp Rules 1974 / 1994

Rapporteurs

Details on the manner in which submissions should be prepared and delivered their submissions to the electronic database have been circulated to every National Maritime Law Association. The following rapporteurs have been nominated (all other enquiries may be directed to cmlcmiproject@nus.edu.sg):