XI Maritime Law Congress in the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The Venezuelan Maritime Law Association (“AVDM” – Asociación Venezolana de Derecho Marítimo) successfully hosted the XI Maritime Law Congress in Maracaibo on November 12-14, 2025. This important event gathered over 250 leading experts, faculty, judges, and practitioners from Venezuela, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Congress provided an intensive, three-day forum dedicated to the unique and evolving legal challenges impacting maritime operations, trade, and sustainability in the Caribbean region. The program commenced with the opening remarks and a brief presentation by Cristina Mujica Perret-Gentil, President of the AVDM.

The first day focused on the history, development and current state of Venezuelan maritime law. Speakers included former President of AVDM Gustavo Omaña Parés and former Vice President for Venezuela of Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Marítimo (IIDM) Iván Sabatino Pizzolante, who discussed milestones and contemporary challenges.

That same day, the “Francisco Javier Yanes Order” was awarded to two distinguished individuals to recognize their contributions to the promotion and development of Maritime Law. The Order was  granted to Gustavo Omaña Parés and Captain Pedro José Guzman Quevedo (post mortem). The “Francisco Javier Yanes Order” was created by past administrations of AVDM to award certain relevant individuals and entities for their contributions to the maritime law. In this instance, Guzmán contributed, and Omaña still does, with specialized books, articles and forming the next generations of professionals in Venezuela as professors in post graduate studies in the country.

This segment was later highlighted by the presentation of two significant new publications that further enrich the Venezuelan Maritime Law. The first was “Estudios de Derecho Marítimo” (Studies in Maritime Law), a comprehensive cooperative in memoriam book dedicated to Dr. Freddy Belisario Capella, recognizing his extensive contributions to the field. This was followed by the presentation of “Régimen Jurídico de los Accidentes Marítimos” (Legal Regime of Maritime Accidents), authored by Francisco Villarroel. These presentations underscored AVDM’s commitment to promoting specialized legal literature vital to the nation’s ports and international trade activities.

Some of The Congress thematic areas and highlights included:

• Venezuelan Maritime Legislation – Aquatic Spaces and Offshore: Sessions covered the legal complexities of the Atlantic Façade (presented by Captain Julio Peña), Shipping Agencies in Lake Maracaibo (by Leonardo Avila) and maritime mining, including offshore gas processes, with insights from Luis Eduardo Chávez (Colombia).
• Organized Crime and Labour: Discussions included organized crime in the maritime sector (led by Idemaro González and Teodoro Pinto), alongside a deep dive into the Special Maritime Labour Regime by Francisco Carrillo and Ángeles Rodríguez.
• Insurance and Claims: The afternoon featured a major panel on “Claims, Coverage, and Complaints”, with contributions from José Manuel Vilar, and Benjamín Cordero, analyzing recent losses and relevant jurisprudence, led by Gabriel Marcano.
• Flavio González discussing the challenges of Venezuelan aquaculture. This was followed by a strategic overview of export opportunities by José Gregorio Rodríguez (Consecomercio), Ramon Goyo (Consecomercio) and Jesly Lusinchi (AVEX).
• Technology at Sea: Francisco Villarroel and Gerardo Ponce explored the “Digital Wave,” covering how innovation and technology are transforming navigation and port management.
• Oil and Gas: The closing panels addressed the fiscal and customs regimes applicable to liquid and gas hydrocarbons in offshore operations, featuring presentations by the President of the Venezuelan Association of Tax Law, Juan Esteban Korody, along with Rafael Uzcátegui (Entra Consulting), Luzmely Rey (LEGA) and María Fernanda Luna, this panel was run by our Director of Ports and Customs, Yelitza Suarez.

The Congress reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to promoting the modernization and uniformity of maritime law, aligning national discussions with the objectives of the CMI. The event concluded with a strong call for greater regional cooperation in legal education and regulatory harmonization, delivered by AVDM’s President, Cristina Mujica Perret-Gentil.

We wish to congratulate AVDM´s organizing committee and thank all the speakers, moderators and attendees for a successful and timely event.

Attendees to the Venezuelan MLA XI Congress of Maritime Law with the backdrop of Maracaibo Lake’s Bridge

Members of the Venezuelan MLA attending the XI Congress of Maritime Law, Maracaibo, Venezuela.