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The Maritime Law students visited the Hutchinson Ports Container Terminal
Hong Kong is an important maritime hub in the region. It is an important center for ship-finance, one of the most popular ship registers in the world and a major container port for trans-shipment. Hong Kong also offers high quality legal services in the sector and is a reliable centre for arresting ships for claims against the shipowners. Maritime law teaching has a long history at CityU and currently includes a course on the Principles of Maritime Law. Linking legal education with practice is important and within this context the students learned about the role of Hong Kong in international logistics and the way trans-shipment of goods dominates Hong Kong ports during a visit at the Hutchinson Ports Container Terminal. Hutchinson Ports started as a local company and is currently the largest port network operating ports around the world.
This year the students had also the opportunity to listen to a talk by Mr Jim James Consultant of Hill Dickinson Hong Kong, an internationally leading firm in maritime and commercial law, on the legal intricacies of protecting the interests of investors and banks financing the purchase and operation of ships. The talk introduced students to the various legal tools used to transfer proprietary and possessory rights to creditors including the right to ask courts locally but also internationally to detain the ship in appropriate circumstances.
The students also had the opportunity to learn about mutual insurance for third party liability, an arrangement whereby shipowners form their insurance companies, called Protection and Indemnity Clubs (P&I). The P&I Clubs insure the ships of their members against third party liabilities whether these are collisions, crew injuries or pollution claims. P&I Clubs are also involved in defending claims against their members and, as a result, provide employment opportunities for maritime law experts. The talk was delivered by Ms Gina Gao who is a Senior Underwriter and Ms Sharon Chan who is a Claims Executive Lawyer of Gard (HK) LTD. Gard, with headquarters in Norway the largest P&I Club in the world.
香港是亞洲區內重要的海運樞紐, 既是重要的船舶融資中心，亦是世界上最受歡迎的船舶登記中心之一，以及主要的貨櫃轉運港口。 香港還以優質的法律服務著名，並能為索償人提供可靠的保障。
香港城市大學法律學院的海商法課程歷史悠久，目前開設的課程有《海商法原理》。城大法律學院一向注重實踐教育，知行合一。因此，是次安排學生們到和記港口香港國際貨櫃碼頭參觀，能讓他們瞭解香港在國際物流中的作用，以及貨物轉運在香港港口中的主導地位。和記港口最初是一家本地公司，目前是全球最大的港口網路，在世界各地經營港口。
今年，學生們還有機會參加來自國際領先海商法事務所，希德律師行香港的顧問員 Jim James的演講。內容涉及保護投資者、運營船舶的融資購買以及銀行利益的法律複雜性。講座向學生介紹了用於向債權人轉讓所有權和佔有權的各種法律工具，包括要求在適當情況下請求當地法院和國際法院扣押船舶的權利。
學生還有機會瞭解船東互保及責任保險，這是一種由船東組建保險公司的安排，稱為船東互保協會(P&I)。互保協會為其成員的船舶提供保險，使其免受協力廠商責任，保險包括碰撞、船員受傷、污染索賠等。 互保協會也參與針對其會員的索賠辯護，從而為海事法專家提供就業機會。 講座由來自挪威的全球最大的保賠協會，Gard (HK) LTD的高級核保師Gina Gau女士和索賠執行律師陳婉明女士主講。