Specific Issues for discussion:
• What precisely is the ‘shadow fleet’? What distinguishes such vessel from merely “unregistered” (or fraudulently registered vessels)?
• Can a shadow fleet vessel be arrested? If so, on what basis, and what issues arise?
• Can a shadow fleet vessel lawfully be interdicted? If so, when, where and on what basis?
• Enforcement against shadow vessels: US civil forfeiture, a case study.
• Who are the proper parties to a dispute where complex charterparty structures obscure the underlying contractual relationships?
• Due diligence best practice: how to identify signs of AIS manipulation, complex ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, and obscured beneficial ownership structures; whether
compliance protocols require updating to meet the heightened standard of “know your vessel” requirements.
| Date: | 14/10/2026 |
| Chair: | The Honourable Mrs Justice Dias |
| Panellists: | Diego Ramirez (IMO and Marshall Islands Registry Ian Park - Essex Court Chambers Christina Kartali - Essex Court Chambers Philip Roche - Norton Rose Fulbright |
| Venue: | The IDRC 1 Paternoster Lane London EC4M 7BQ |
| Time: | 6.00pm - 7.30pm to be followed by a Drinks Reception kindly sponsored by Essex Court Chambers |
| CPD Points: | 1.5 CPD points |