Maritime Week has come to Gibraltar for the first time with the commitment for a biannual event exploring the maritime facilities applicable locally. The inaugural ceremony of MWG included the highly welcomed announcement of a Maritime Academy in Gibraltar. Gibraltar, therefore, will become an international provider of world class maritime training.

The Minister for the Port of Gibraltar, Hon. Gilbert Licudi QC MP, said, "The Academy, through the University, will provide as from September 2020 a full academic and professional training package developed and delivered to the highest accredited standards in the industry. It will provide the opportunity, on completion, to start a career as an officer in the merchant navy, on a research ship, a cruise ship, or a superyacht." [Government of Gibraltar]

The second day of the conference was opened by the Hon. Fabian Picardo QC MP, Chief Minister of HM Government of Gibraltar. This represented the launch of many interesting sessions on global shipping, port hub development, the bunkering sector, future developments and trends, etc.

Legal Issues in Shipping was amongst the topics addressed to the international community of maritime experts. The opening remarks of the session were made by Petrospot's Director of Publishing, Lesley Bankes-Hughes. Hereafter, the first presentation on Ship Arrest in Gibraltar was delivered by Liam Yeats, Admiralty Marshall of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar.

Also, Christian Hernandez, partner at ISOLA LLP, made his contribution to the session by presenting A Comparative Analysis of Ship Arrest versus other Legal Options. In Gibraltar, Christian is recognized as one of the leading lawyers in shipping law and he has successfully provided his expertise during the MGW 19.

Yachts and Superyachts was another appealing session exploring one of the fastest-growing maritime sectors and how Gibraltar prepares for it. The speeches put an emphasis on the features of a port that are most valued amongst yacht managers and owners. The session was opened by the marine insurance consultant Richard Felipes and it continued with Mark Lincoln's perspective on Serving Yachts and Superyacht

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