Maritime Law

Transport at sea - what happens when something goes wrong? If you are curious about the rules and regulations that govern the shipping industry and want to learn more about the legal side of this international business, this is the programme for you.

Maritime Law is an exciting and challenging international subject for lawyers and others with an interest in shipping.
This LLM programme gives you a specialization in a truly international field of law, which is of great practical importance.

The program covers all private law aspects of shipping.

It discusses traditional subjects like transport of goods and passengers:

• Can owners claim compensation if their goods are damaged or lost during transport?
• Can passengers bring charges against a shipping company if the vessel is not ship-shape?

In addition the programme cover more recent subjects like:

• Ship causalities: Who will pay for damages to the environment caused by oil pollution from a big tanker?
• Attacks on vessels: Can we prevent attacks on vessels from terrorists and pirates, and who will pay for the damages caused?
• Effects of the global financial situation on the shipping industry: Can I cancel a contract for building a new vessel because an economic crisis has made it impossible for me to trade the vessel profitably?

In addition to maritime law, you will have the opportunity to learn more about related international topics, like marine insurance law, petroleum law and English contract law among others.

The program will be particularly well suited for young lawyers who would like to work in an international setting, but should also interest students who have practical experience from the shipping industry.

The LLM is offered at the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law (Nordisk institutt for sjørett (NIFS)). The Institute is a fully integrated part of the Faculty of Law, but it differs from other institutes at the Faculty with its Nordic profile.

NIFS is supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and a number of other sponsors and is meant to be a central institute offering services to maritime environments in all the five Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland in addition to Norway).

But due to the international nature of the subject Maritime Law, the Institute has also always had a rather international image, attracting guest researchers and lectures from all over the world.

The main activities of the Institute are teaching and research in Maritime and Transport Law, as well as Petroleum and Energy Law. The professors also maintain a broad activity in general commercial law.