2015 North Sea International Maritime Conference

The Elbe river, one of the world’s most frequented shipping channels, is the backdrop for the 2015 North Sea International Maritime Conference in Cuxhaven, Germany. Hosted jointly by the State Maritime College in Cuxhaven, Germany, and the German American Maritime Institute, the conference, which takes place on the 19th and 20th of March 2015, will bring together shipping industry experts from England, Germany, Holland and the United States for lectures, panel discussions and special sessions.

Although the conference is limited to 120 participants due to capacity, at least 20 spots are being set aside free of charge for students of Cuxhaven’s State Maritime College. “The goal is to make sure the new generation of German mariners benefits from this conference as well, which is the entire point of our partnership with the State Maritime College,” said Erik Kravets, President of the German American Maritime Institute, who also teaches law at the college. “We are offering these scholarships so that students can network with industry representatives, learn about current trends and have a good time.”

The centerpiece of the conference is the panel, on the second day, comparing and contrasting different arbitration venues. The participant list includes the Chairman of the Dutch Maritime Arbitration Association, Taco van der Valk, as well as Dennis Cammarano, who is the Secretary of the American Maritime Law Association’s Carriage of Goods by Sea Committee. 

On top of this, Professor Jason Chuah of the City University of London, an internationally recognized maritime and commercial law expert, will be presenting English maritime arbitration. Wiebke Harke, a shipping agent at Hamburg Süd who has studied industry satisfaction with arbitration processes in London and Hamburg, will be presenting her and the industry’s views on the matter.

Participants can also look forward to a variety of intensely practical discussions on liability for bulk and break bulk cargo, specifically with reference to masters’ and owners’ duties and obligations.  This session will be of keen interest to students of the State Maritime College, but also to mariners. 

Together with Dr. Sarah Fiona Gahlen of the University of Kiel, Erik Kravets and Audrey Kravets will compare and contrast German and United States rules – a complement to the specialist courses on offer at the State Maritime College of Cuxhaven, which allow students to leave with a certificate on the U.S. Carriage of Goods by Sea Act.

In the special sessions at the end of the conference, discussion will range from maritime labor law to personal injury insurance claims to new perspectives in transatlantic ship finance. Attendance at the conference will also give participants from around the globe an opportunity to get to know the Elbe-Weser-Triangle, comprised of the Hanseatic Cities of Bremen and Hamburg, with Cuxhaven at the outlet of the Elbe. 

The Cuxhaven Agency for Business Development will be present and will present new developments in the harbor, including the building of Pier 4. The interconnectedness of the economies of Cuxhaven, Bremen and Hamburg will be placed in their broader European and global context, with key innovations in the offshore sector coming from local businesses like Otto Wulf GmbH & Co. KG, which has developed a patented and unique crew transfer vessel.