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The Institute’s 14th Annual Colloquium will be held on 10-11 September 2018. The subject of this year’s event is new technologies and their present and future effect on shipping and trade law.
To register for this event, please visit our Eventbrite page.
As evidenced elsewhere in commercial law, technological advancement shows an ever-accelerating influence on shipping and trade law and practice. One instance is the use of blockchain technology to supplant paper: shipping companies love the idea, but recent legal authorities confirm that under traditional legal principles it could have hazardous consequences for carriers, insurers, banks and others.
AI is expected to have significant impact not only in litigation, but also in the context of underwriting and claims handling. As well as this, it will be key in more-or-less autonomous craft controlled by sensors and technological devices, and in increasingly automated port handling procedures.
The objective of this year’s Colloquium is to consider the impact of these new technologies. It aims to home in on emerging issues and unresolved questions, especially about existing liabilities and new ones that may emerge. The discussion will range over national, international, and EU dimensions. As ever with Swansea colloquiums, this event will be led by top-class professional and academic experts.
Topics of Discussion
The topics discussed will be varied, but we envisage they will include:
- Smart contracts in shipping
- The use of blockchain technology
- Electronic signature
- Electronic (mis)delivery
- Smart ports
- Smart containers
- Smart ships
- AUVs and other mobile assets in maritime law
- Technological IP in the oil and gas sector
- Legal tech- shipping litigation and disclosure
Speakers and Chairpersons
The speakers and chairpersons of the colloquium, we expect will include:
- Lord Justice Gross, Court of Appeal, UK
- Professor Simon Baughen, IISTL, Swansea University, UK
- Simon Cooper, Partner, Ince & Co, London, UK
- Paul Dean, Senior Partner, HFW, London, UK
- Grant Hunter, Head of Contracts & Clauses, BIMCO, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Professor Francesco Munari, University of Genoa, Italy
- Associate Professor George Leloudas, IISTL, Swansea University, UK
- Peter Macdonald-Eggers QC, 7 King’s Bench Walk, London, UK
- Simon Rainey QC, Quadrant Chambers, London, UK
- Erik Røsæg, Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, Oslo University, Norway
- Dr Frank Stevens, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
- Professor Michael Sturley, University of Texas, USA
- Professor Barış Soyer, Director, IITSL, Swansea University, UK
- Professor Andrew Tettenborn, IISTL, Swansea University, UK
- Professor Erik van Hooydonk, Ghent University, Belgium
Registration and additional information
The Colloquium proper commences on Monday 10 September with registration at 8.30am sharp; a welcome buffet will, however, be available to delegates arriving on the previous evening of Sunday 9 September. A dinner will take place on the evening of Monday 10 September at Sketty Hall, an eighteenth-century mansion previously owned by the Baring family and to this day probably the finest building in Swansea.
Accommodation is available on campus during the event: in addition, there will be no difficulty in arranging an extended stay for those who would like to remain longer (it is worth remembering that the Gower Peninsula, the UK’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is just a stone’s throw away).
For those who prefer, there are also a number of good hotels in town, notably the Dragon Hotel, tel: 01792 657100, and the Marriott Hotel, tel: 01792 642020. Please note, however, that the organisers cannot take responsibility for booking accommodation off campus.
The closing date for registration is 31 August 2018. We will of course try to accommodate those applying after that date, but can make no guarantees in that respect. More detailed information and joining instructions will be sent to delegates on registration.
To register for this event, please visit our Eventbrite page.
