SMMI invited to present at Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Seminar on Solid Bulk Cargo Liquefaction

Professors Emily Reid and James Davey (Institute of Maritime Law) represented the SMMI at the recent Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Seminar on Solid Bulk Cargo Liquefaction in London.

Emily, Professor of International Economic Law and Sustainable Development at Southampton Law School, made an invited presentation on the recently funded SMMI-led Lloyd’s Register Foundation joint industry project (visit the related article) – which was profiled in a write up by Lloyd’s List of the event ‘Liquefaction experts join forces to combat losses'.

Emily also took part as a member for the panel discussion “Are current regulations, guidelines, and investigation robust enough to protect crew and cargo?”. This question raises a number of issues concerning both the effectiveness of the regulatory framework itself, but also relating to challenges of compliance and enforcement. Both angles were explored by the panel.  James Davey, Professor of Contract and Commercial Law at Southampton Law School, was a member for the panel discussion “Risk, liability and claims - who is liable for what in liquefaction cases?”.  Challenging questions were raised on the liabilities arising from and insurance coverage for liquefaction events, both those which cause loss of life and those where the problems become apparent during loading. This adds a further layer of complexity to the challenging scientific and enforcement issues.