The 11thMaritime Seminar for Judges organised by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority in collaboration with the Judicial Training Institute was successfully held on Friday 18th November 2016 at the M.T Addico Conference Hall of the Ghana Shippers’ House. The seminar, eleventh in the series of Maritime Law Seminars, retained its primary objective of updating the knowledge base of the Justices/Judges of superior courts in Ghana to adequately prepare them for the challenges of interpretation and application of both domestic and international law on maritime issues.
Key personalities present at the seminar included Her Ladyship, Justice Georgina Wood (Mrs), Chief Justice of Republic of Ghana, Hon Fifi Kwetey, Minister of Transport, Mrs. Helen Akpene Ziwu, Ag. Solicitor General, representing the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and Dr. Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority and Justices of the Superior Courts of Judicature
Welcoming participants to the Seminar, the Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kofi Mbiah lauded the unalloyed support received from the office of the Chief Justice over this past decade and also thanked the Judges of the superior courts of judicature who have over the years kept faith with this event.
He called for the Maritime Law Seminar series to be continued and even broadened to cover a wide array of new fields of endeavour with their attendant legal ramifications, “so as to keep our learned Judges continuously abreast with these new developments”.
The Chief Justice, Georgina Wood (Mrs) delivering the keynote address commended the Ghana Shippers’ Authority and the Judicial Training Institute for the able manner in which they have consistently and seamlessly organized these seminars from the maiden edition through to the 11th in the series. She mentioned that, since the commencement of the maritime law seminars series, a number of maritime trade and transport related cases have been expertly handled by the courts and that in some of these disputes, judges have drawn upon the knowledge gained from these seminars-“an ample testimony to the value and benefits accruing from the seminars” she added.
The Transport Minister, Hon. Fifi Kwetey, in his address said that efficient and effective transport system was critical for socio-economic development and therefore the importance of this seminar cannot be over emphasized as it contributes significantly to ensuring the international trade and maritime transport business are conducted in the spirit of law and order.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Honourable Minister of Justice Attorney General, applauded judges for their sound judgements in trade and commercial disputes over the years.
His Lordship Professor Justice Darte-Bah, who chaired the function, in his remarks applauded the GSA for putting together The Admiral – A Compendium – a publication of all the papers presented at the 10 previous seminars, to serve as a ready reference for justices of the superior courts, maritime lawyers and researchers. The publication, he said, would be launched early next year.
Incisive presentations were delivered by Professor P.K. Mukherjee, Mr. Alexander G. Buabeng, Mrs. Sandra Opoku and Dr. Kofi Mbiah on the following topics:
- Essentials of Sea Carriage of Goods: Chinese and Common Law Perspective
- International Commercial Arbitration and Public Policy: The Role of the Courts
- Ship Arrest and Enforcement Procedures in Ghana.
- Understanding the Legal Principles Underpinning CIF Contracts
The one day seminar hosted in the M.T Addico Conference Hall of the Ghana Shippers’ House was the first public event in the facility and had about 70 Judges participating.
