A dedicated maritime court with at least two judges assigned to it is needed, the Malta Maritime Forum said as it backed a suggestion to that effect made by an outgoing judge. 

Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon said in his parting speech a few days ago that the commercial section of the law courts, which was “a success story”, needed to be reinforced, including with the allocation of three judges.

He also said it ought to be extended to cover maritime, trademarks, intellectual property and patents.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Malta Maritime Forum added its voice to those calls.

It said maritime cases had increased, were becoming commonplace and increasingly more technical with the ever-intensifying sophistication in international maritime law.

Since Malta is a maritime centre of significant importance on a global scale, cases decided by the Maltese courts have multiple international interests and every maritime case decided in Malta is “studied and analysed” by numerous international maritime interests, it said.

Zammit McKeon’s call, the forum said, is complementary to the country’s role and aspirations to continue to serve the region and beyond as a centre of excellence in the maritime field. 

It said that in fact, in light of the expense and breath of maritime cases, the increasing specialisation in international maritime law and the expectations of the industry, a dedicated maritime court “is indeed a crucial requirement”.