Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly
MARITIME LEGISLATIVE CHANGES IN SINGAPORE
Stephen Girvin*
The Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2019
Introduction
Singapore1 ranks among the leading maritime capitals of the world2 and is prominent in the region in maritime finance and law.3 As a state that plays a leading role within BIMCO, the ICS, and the IMO, Singapore also has a good track record of ratifying major international maritime law instruments. However, until the Merchant Shipping
* MPA Professor of Maritime Law, Director, Centre for Maritime Law, National University of Singapore.
1. The maritime sector accounts for 7 per cent of Singapore's GDP: see www.maritimesingapore.sg/about-maritime-singapore/.
2. See The Leading Maritime Capitals of the World (Menon Economics, 2019), 5: www.menon.no/wp-content/uploads/Maritime-cities-2019-Final.pdf; “Singapore wins fourth consecutive maritime crown”, Lloyd's List, 10 April 2019. See also Justice Steven Chong, “Maritime Law in Singapore and Beyond—Its Origins, Influence and Importance”, NUS Centre for Maritime Law Working Paper 17/01 (available at law.nus.edu.sg/cml/pdfs/wps/CML-WPS-1701.pdf).
3. In this respect, London still leads by a significant margin (ibid, 25). Indeed, the admiralty and shipping business litigated in London continues to highlight the significant international reach of London and the English courts: see, eg, Nautical Challenge Ltd v Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd (The Alexandra 1 and Ever Smart) [2018] EWCA Civ 2173; [2019] 1 Lloyd's Rep 130, [1].
Case and comment
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