Newswise — Singapore, 3 September 2015 – The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) today announced the establishment of the new Centre for Maritime Law (CML) and MPA Professorship in Maritime Law. These two initiatives deepen the strong partnership between NUS Law, the Ministry of Law, and the MPA in boosting Singapore’s expertise in maritime law research and thought leadership.
CML was officially launched today by MPA Chief Executive, Mr Andrew Tan, and NUS Law Dean, Professor Simon Chesterman, in the presence of about 150 guests from the judiciary, government, practitioners from the legal, insurance and shipping sectors, as well as academics. The new centre, which is NUS Law’s sixth research centre, will focus on commercial maritime law. Established with funding from the MPA and the Ministry of Law, CML’s primary focus will be to spearhead maritime law research in Singapore and in the region, as well as enhance the knowledge and expertise amongst the shipping community in Singapore. It will also support and enhance the teaching of maritime law among undergraduates and postgraduate students.
The MPA Professorship in Maritime Law was also enhanced to strengthen the development of resident teaching expertise and anchor maritime legal research activities at NUS Law. This builds on the earlier S$4 million MPA visiting professorship programme that was set up in 2003 at NUS Law to enable overseas academia to conduct courses for NUS Law students and members of the Singapore maritime community.
In support of these two initiatives, MPA has contributed an additional S$1 million to establish a permanent professorship. Additionally, MPA, through the Singapore Maritime Institute, has also set aside S$2 million to support the running of CML over five years.
Professor Stephen Girvin, who has been a faculty member of NUS Law since 2008, has been appointed as the inaugural MPA Professor in Maritime Law. He is joined by Associate Professor Paul Myburgh, formerly of the University of Auckland, as Deputy Director of the centre. An advisory board chaired by NUS Law and comprising nine other representatives from MPA, the legal fraternity and the marine insurance sector will also guide the work of the centre. Please refer to Annex A for Prof Girvin’s biography.
Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of NUS Faculty of Law, said, “Singapore is already a global port and a leading venue for maritime dispute resolution. Our aim is to build on that success to establish Singapore as a thought-leader in commercial maritime law issues. The launch of the Centre for Maritime Law and the MPA Professorship in Maritime Law complement the wider efforts to promote Singapore as a full-service maritime centre and ensure that its voice in commercial maritime law issues is heard.”
“Professor Stephen Girvin is one of the world’s most prolific and influential scholars of maritime law. At NUS Law he has built up a specialist master’s programme in maritime law that is widely regarded as the best in the region, as well as helped lead a transformation in the faculty’s approach to research during his tenure as Vice Dean. As the Founding Director of CML and the inaugural MPA Professor in Maritime Law, Professor Girvin’s international recognition and connections will be invaluable in deepening and strengthening the study and the practice of maritime law in Singapore and beyond.”
Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA said, “Maritime Singapore is home to more than 5,000 maritime establishments. These include the port, shipping and maritime services such as ship broking, marine insurance and maritime law and arbitration. We have a comprehensive maritime eco-system with good growth potential. A strong pool of maritime legal expertise will reinforce Singapore’s development as a leading maritime legal and arbitration centre. This partnership with NUS will strengthen our efforts to position Singapore as an international maritime centre.”
CML will focus on research in commercial maritime law, broadly on international trade, transport and shipping law related issues. The centre’s activities range across private (commercial) shipping law and includes dispute settlement, such as maritime arbitration, and the offshore sector. In addition, the centre will organise seminars, conferences and symposia to engage academics, professionals, and government institutions with the objective of enhancing the development of maritime law in Singapore and the region. The centre expects its activities to enhance the reputation of Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). Please refer to Annex B for more information on CML.
Prof Girvin said, “The Centre for Maritime Law aims to be a leader in research and scholarship in maritime law. We look forward to working closely with the local and international maritime community to contribute towards strengthening Singapore’s pre-eminent reputation as a global maritime hub.”
CML is the sixth and latest research centre developed as part of NUS Law’s research initiative. In 2012, the faculty established the Centre for Asian Legal Studies, and in 2014, the Centre for Law & Business and the Centre for Banking & Finance Law were launched. Earlier in 2015, the Centre for Legal Theory was added to the ranks. The first research centre established by NUS Law is the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2016.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Travis LEE Associate Director, Media RelationsNational University of SingaporeDID: (65) 6516 6391Email: [email protected]
Fouziah A. RAHIM Manager, Corporate Communications DepartmentMaritime and Port Authority of SingaporeDID: (65) 6375-1852Email: [email protected]
About National University of Singapore (NUS)
A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. NUS has 16 faculties and schools across three campuses. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 37,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives. NUS has three Research Centres of Excellence (RCE) and 26 university-level research institutes and centres. It is also a partner in Singapore’s fifth RCE. NUS shares a close affiliation with 16 national-level research institutes and centres. Research activities are strategic and robust, and NUS is well-known for its research strengths in engineering, life sciences and biomedicine, social sciences and natural sciences. It also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community. This year, NUS celebrates its 110th year of founding together with Singapore’s 50th year of independence. As the island’s first higher education institution established by the local community, NUS prides itself in nurturing generations of leaders and luminaries in Singapore and Asia. For more information on NUS, please visit www.nus.edu.sg. Details on NUS’ 110th Anniversary celebrations are available at nus110.sg.
About NUS Law
NUS Law is Asia’s Global Law School. Ranked as the region's leading law school, it sees itself as part of a global conversation about the study and practice of law. Its diverse faculty includes 98 full-time academics together with many adjuncts and visitors; its 1,200 undergraduate and postgraduate students include some of Singapore’s top school leavers as well as outstanding scholars from all over the globe.
In addition to its teaching programme, the faculty is a major source of research on legal issues affecting Singapore, the region and beyond. NUS Law produces the leading publication on Singapore law as well as the Asian Journal of Comparative Law and the Asian Journal of International Law. The Faculty regularly publishes in these and other leading journals, as well as producing their own monographs and engaging with the public through mass media.
The Law School’s alumni are a who’s who of Singapore’s legal community. Graduates include leaders in the profession, government ministers, Supreme Court judges, ambassadors, community leaders, social workers and many more. Other alumni go on to careers that take them to the heights of the profession around the world.
For more information, please visit www.law.nus.edu.sg.
About the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was established on 2 February 1996, with the mission to develop Singapore as a premier global hub port and international maritime centre (IMC), and to advance and safeguard Singapore's strategic maritime interests. MPA is the driving force behind Singapore's port and maritime development, taking on the roles of Port Authority, Port Regulator, Port Planner, IMC Champion, and National Maritime Representative. MPA partners the industry and other agencies to enhance safety, security and environmental protection in our port waters, facilitate port operations and growth, expand the cluster of maritime ancillary services, and promote maritime R&D and manpower development.
For more information, please visit www.mpa.gov.sg
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