What to expect at our ports conference
Details
Join us at our annual ports conference on Thursday 6 July 2017 at our London office.
On Thursday 6 July the our ports team will be once again hosting our annual conference covering a range of topics that will be of interest to this key sector. With a line-up of experts from our own lawyers to other specialist speakers, the day should prove relevant to all those involved in the industry including port operators, users, ship owners, logistic/cargo operators and their insurers.
Our opening session will take a look at a topic of interest, not to say concern, for any port and the obligations placed upon them as regards any vessel seeking a place of refuge. Partner and master mariner Phil Haddon will give an overview of how international (including EU) guidelines and regulation seek to balance the tension between a state’s right to control access to its ports as set against the international communities’ desire for states to offer shelter and assistance to vessels that find themselves in difficulty. The UK’s SOSREP, Hugh Shaw, will then expand on this from a UK perspective with a review of some case studies and a look forward to how Brexit might affect the current position.
In anticipation of our headline conference in this year’s London International Shipping Week: ‘Tomorrow’s maritime world – casualties and the legal challenges in an automated environment’ on Tuesday 12 September, and following recent announcements on developments in robotic vessels, a panel of industry experts will attempt to anticipate the legal implications the advent of these ships may have.
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – comes into force on 25 May 2018 and applies to processing of personal data relating to identifiable living individuals held by a business that has an established presence in the EU irrespective of where in the world the data is held or processed. The GDPR introduces the concept of accountability which means businesses and other entities are responsible for ensuring personal data is processed and entrusted to others securely with fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover whichever is higher for some offences or 2% and up to €10 million for others as well as compensation to the data subjects whose rights have been breached under the Regulation. Our marine, trade and energy business group leader, Maria Pittordis, will lead on this and other data protection and cybersecurity issues, and what the ports sector will have to do to ensure they are cyber-ready for the 2018 deadline.
The recent surge in GI claims in the cruise and travel industry has hit not just trade publications, but also made headlines in the national press with measures announced in the recent Queen’s speech to try and curb fraudulent and ill-supported claims. However, with the nation’s ports overseeing significant passenger footfall, this is an area, which is also of relevance to the sector. Maria, who is acknowledged as one of the leading experts in this field will join the panel looking at norovirus claims with specific reference to ports.
As Brexit negotiations begin amid uncertainty about the future for the UK’s borders, we line up speakers from important industry bodies including the UK Chamber of Shipping and the British Ports Association to take a look at what the options might be for frictionless access to our ports and where the pitfalls and opportunities may lie.
Our conference will round up with a review of sentence guidelines for port prosecutions after which our delegates can enjoy networking and drinks.
