Three major challenges that international maritime law Decarbonization, autonomous ships, and cyber risk as the new frontier of navigability.

Decarbonization, autonomous ships, and cyber risk as the new frontier of navigability. These are the three major challenges that international maritime law will face in the next decade, according to lawyer Francesco Siccardi, speaking at the International Propeller Club – Port of Genoa. This analysis emerged during the traditional pre-Christmas meeting of the Club, led by Giorgia Boi, which saw the Bristol Palace Hotel packed with members and representatives of the cluster.

 The Blue Economy generates 18% of the regional GDP

After greetings from President Boi, Liguria Regional President Marco Bucci addressed the audience. He emphasized the sector's centrality, noting that the Blue Economy generates 18% of the regional GDP, a figure that places Genoa and Liguria among the top national figures. Bucci outlined the guidelines for the near future: new port infrastructure, streamlined regulations, and business-friendly environmental protection. Among the projects mentioned were the emerging school for maritime professions and the "Factory of Ideas," an incubator for start-ups in the sector. Also present for the official greetings were Admiral Antonio Ranieri, Commander of the Port of Genoa, and Councilor Emilio Robotti for the Municipality.

The highlight of the event was the awarding of the seventh Mariano Maresca Plaque to lawyer Francesco Siccardi (Siccardi Bregante & C. Law Firm). The recognition, unanimously granted by the Board of Directors, honored a career dedicated to the development of maritime law, both through his legal practice and his scholarly contributions and participation in organizations such as the International Maritime Committee The plaque—a slate slab, a symbol of the Ligurian region—was personalized with an engraving depicting an ancient volume and a sailing ship, symbolizing the union between legal studies and maritime practice.

From the Titanic disaster to the Torrey Canyon case

Those who work in the maritime sector are part of an activity that matters worldwide," Siccardi said upon receiving the award, noting that shipping is special precisely because of its ability to connect different cultures and broaden minds.

In his lecture, the lawyer analyzed the evolution of international maritime law, highlighting how regulatory development is historically linked to major events: from the Titanic disaster, which led to the first safety regulations, to the Torrey Canyon case, which paved the way for the regulation of environmental liability. Siccardi also noted a certain "current weariness in the creation of new international treaties," hampered by geopolitical tensions and nationalism, in a context in which the IMO, too, is assuming an increasingly political role.

Identified three crucial challenges

Projecting his vision into the future, the lawyer identified three crucial challenges that will require regulatory updates: decarbonization, driven by increasingly stringent EU and global regulations; autonomous ships, which require a revision of current rules based on the physical presence of the crew; and cyber risk, with cybersecurity becoming, in the speaker's words, "the new frontier of seaworthiness."

Siccardi concluded by emphasizing the importance of preserving "traditions that work"—citing the longevity of the 1924 Convention compared to the more recent Rotterdam Rules—and calling on the new generations to take the reins of a sector that, after years of being undervalued at the national political level, is regaining its centrality.

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Source : Shipping Italy

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