1. TOWARDS A WORLDWIDE RESTATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MARITIME LAW Prof Dr Eric van Hooydonk 8th European Colloquium on Maritime Law Research (ECMLR) Rotterdam, September 2014

2. From enthusiasm to malaise The sources of maritime law – Lex Maritima & Lex Mercatoria – CMI & IMO conventions – Self-regulation – National legislation – Obstacles to uniformity – Civil law instruments

3. Current status of lex maritima (1) Declarations of faith Customs, usages and standard clauses – Examples – Rimaboschi & Maurer – National legislation

4. Current status of lex maritima (2) General principles of maritime law – EU legal doctrine – US case law – National legislation Interim conclusions

5. The case for a restatement of the general principles (1) Potential form and content – What it is – What it is not – Working hypothesis of examples Potential uses – Interpretation – Inspiration – Harmonisation – Autonomy / specificity of maritime law

6. The case for a restatement of the general principles (2) Working procedure CMI IWG

7. Conclusion Lex maritima exists but is of little practical use A restatement would make a valuable contribution to harmonisation and disregard of specificity of maritime sector