While maritime law consists of two broad elements, dividing it into two neat compartments and labelling them “public” and “private”, is rather an oversimplification. The shipping industry is involved in many matters of general law and non-maritime legal transactions which are not part of the lex maritima. It is well acknowledged that many aspects of private maritime law are in fact derived from the lex mercatoria. Adding to this the radical changes in all aspects of our daily life due to major geopolitical changes, technology progress, economic development, economic integration and globalization, changes that contributed to the evolution of shipping law internationally and regionally not to mention nationally, the evolution of shipping law has been complex and multifaceted. This complexity becomes more challenging by the influence of the EU which has and will play a major part to the evolution of shipping law as a regional regulator for shipping. I invite you, to follow me in this challenge and examine this interaction in this presentation.
