ANNOUNCING THE THEME FOR THE 2016 CADWALLADER DEBATE
The legal position of the ship’s Master when tackling the day-to-day pressures of today’s shipping industry, will be the subject of this year’s Cadwallader Debate, organised by the London Shipping Law Centre, Maritime Business Forum.
The debate, to be held at the Lloyd’s Building in the last week of October, will be chaired by the Lord Clarke of Stonecum-Ebony and will be attended by over 400 delegates from across ship owning, ship management, insurance, law, class and regulation.
Entitled: The Master Under Attack –What is the Legal Position?, the debate will discuss the problems Masters face and suggest possible solutions. The problems include:
Erosion of the Master’s Authority
Increase of the Master’s responsibility
The Master as a legal ‘hostage’
The powerful position of charterers
The global vulnerability of the Master
External interference
Bullying and harassment by authorities in the port
The demands of modern technology
Suggested solutions include the need to support the Master; the need to reinforce his authority – or reduce the liabilities; and the need to consider carefully, the consequences of maintaining the status quo by doing nothing.
Professor Cadwallader was a teacher of maritime law to many international students at University College London (UCL) between 1963 and 1982. In tribute to his memory and his contribution to the advancement of knowledge in maritime law, the Cadwallader Lecture was established by London Shipping Law Centre (LSLC) Founder and Chairman, Dr Aleka Sheppard in 1998. Over the years, these prestigious occasions have brought the key maritime players together in a neutral forum for open discussion of the concerns of the industry regarding legislation, thus enabling the sharing of ideas within a friendly intellectual debate. These debates have directly or indirectly engendered further dialogue and have led to action being taken on matters affecting the interests of the industry and the protection of the marine environment. The Cad Lectures and the London Shipping Law Centre’s monthly events have raised the awareness of shipping professionals in safety matters and corporate responsibility beyond mere compliance with regulations.