Law Firm ILN-telligence Podcast | Episode 81: Geraldine Spiteri and John Navarro, Acumum Legal & Advisory | Malta
Bill on Bankruptcy: Supreme Court Cases Will Have Wide Impact
On July 31, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order (“E.O.”) modifying reciprocal tariffs that became effective on August 7, 2025. Some aspects of the impact are well understood such as increased tariff burden on...more
Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California - Plaintiff Vernon Armstrong alleges he developed lung cancer from asbestos exposure during his Navy service, under claims for negligence, strict liability,...more
On the heels of the Trump administration’s June strikes on key nuclear sites in Tehran, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced significant new sanctions on July 30, 2025,...more
I. U.S. SANCTIONS - U.S. Treasury Department Sanctions Iranian Shipping Network that Transports Oil and Petroleum Products from Russia: On July 30, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
Key point: The US Coast Guard’s new cybersecurity rule will transform the security standards and reporting requirements for vessels and marine facilities nationwide over the next three years. On July 16, 2025, the US Coast...more
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) on July 22, 2025, published a standard clause for time charter parties to address contractual uncertainties arising from the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) recent...more
Summary - In a recent judgment concerning the law of agency and specifically the doctrine of undisclosed principal, the Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision by the Commercial Court that the English courts do not...more
Decree No. 12,555/2025 has been published to regulate Law No. 14,301/2022, which established the BR do Mar Program (“BR do Mar”), setting forth the rules for the implementation, execution, and monitoring of measures to...more
The European Commission has issued its first-ever informal approvals of two separate sustainability initiatives among rivals under its revised Informal Guidance Notice and provided guidance on how the companies in question...more
The World Shipping Council (“WSC”) recently released its Containers Lost at Sea Report 2025 compiling global data on cargo lost at sea from the previous year and promoting loss prevention recommendations for the maritime...more
On June 17, 2025, Canada announced its “biggest-ever” package of vessel- and trade-related sanctions against Russia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The amendments to the Special Economic...more
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) recently announced it was launching a non-adjudicatory investigation into whether foreign vessel flagging laws and practices create unfavorable shipping conditions for the U.S. trade. The...more
Searcy Denney recently became aware of safety concerns with the seats used in Bass Pro’s bass boats. According to the Coast Guard’s safety alert, the casting seats break at the connection between the seatback and base, which...more
On May 17, the masts of a 300-foot-long Mexican naval training ship carrying 277 people collided with the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge just minutes after leaving the pier where it has been docked at the South Street...more
On March 11, 2025, Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a shipping company’s motion for summary judgment, dismissing an antitrust case brought by the only other company...more
On May 15, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) published an FAQ stating that the “in-transit” exception for the reciprocal tariff duty rate does not apply to goods loaded onto a “feeder” vessel prior to April 5...more
Newly proposed tariffs and restrictions on China’s maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding practices were issued on April 17, 2025. The United States Trade Representative’s (“USTR”) Section 301 investigation found China holds...more
The Notice also proposes new tariffs on Chinese origin ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and cranes and parts containing Chinese components. Interested parties may submit comments in response to these proposed measures before May...more
It’s the time of year every boat owner looks forward to — getting their prized possession in the water and prepping it for the season ahead. But, aside from the cleaning and equipment checks, it is also important to regularly...more
On April 30, 2025, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Todd Young (R-IN) — joined by a bipartisan group of Senate and House sponsors — reintroduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for...more
On April 30th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“Customs”) clarified in its International Emergency Economic Powers Act Frequently Asked Questions that the “in transit” exemption from reciprocal tariffs provided for in the...more
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced a notice of action on fees for operators of Chinese-built ships and vessel owners and operators of China after it issued a proposed notice with fees and restrictions on maritime...more
On April 17, 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative (the “USTR”) released a revised proposal implementing service fees on Chinese vessel operators and owners, as well as operators of Chinese-built vessels, following a set of...more
On April 17, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced proposed trade actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) to counteract China’s systemic dominance in the maritime,...more
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on April 17, 2025, announced its long-awaited final proposed measures to combat China's dominance in the maritime sector by imposing fees on Chinese-linked ships. Public criticism of...more