Welcome to our 32nd edition of the Ganado Advocates' shipping and maritime law newsletter. In this issue, we shed more light on Malta's new Passenger Yacht Code and we discuss the concept of environmental sustainability, particularly the shipping industry's impact on the marine environment. Furthermore, we look into the obligations and legal duties for who discovers wrecks, or objects of a wreck, out at sea. We provide the firm's most recent contributions in international publications, giving a general overview of the most recent developments within the shipping industry.

We also refer to the most recent initiative of the firm - our law-based podcast, Ganado Meets. Within this issue, we bring you the first two shipping-focused episodes within the Ganado Meets Transport season, providing insight on the evolution of the Malta ship registry over the years as well as the future aspirations of the flag.

Meanwhile, the local shipping scene will be facing a number of exciting new changes. Apart from the digitalisation of the registry discussed in earlier editions of this newsletter, we learnt, earlier today, from the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Ian Borg, that the Authority for Transport in Malta, which currently is responsible for maritime affairs, road transport and aviation, will be split into independent authorities each responsible for its own individual sector. This will mean that the maritime industry will be handled independently from the rest of the transportation sector. This change augurs well since it is bound to allow more focused attention to the maritime industry and to shipping generally, as we face new industry-specific challenges ahead. Further details about this will be made available in future editions.

We trust you find this issue to be of interest.

In this issue:

News:

  • New rules to regulate Malta-flagged commercial yachts that carry more than 12 passengers

Articles and publications:

  • Shipping in Malta
  • The Maltese shipping industry and the marine environment: Recent developments
  • Wrecks – Certain obligations and legal duties
  • Contribution in Ship Management International – Malta report

Podcasts: Ganado Meets Transport:

  • The evolution of the Malta ship registry
  • The aspirations of the Malta Flag

MSD notices:

  • Water mist lance on-board vessels
  • Extension of restrictive measures in view of the situation in Ukraine
  • Commercial/pleasure yacht changeover guidelines
  • Commercial yacht crew authorisation attestation
  • Adoption of the Passenger Yacht Code (PYC)
  • Recycling declaration for the deletion of vessels from the Malta flag

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.