programme. PORTIUS INAUGURATION CEREMONY Ghent, 7 September 2010 TARGET AUDIENCE

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1 programme TARGET AUDIENCE Sea and inland port authorities Shipowners and operators Port, terminal & logistic operators Shipping agents Freight forwarders Pilotage, towage & salvage services P & I & insurance Naval forces & maritime police VTS, MRCC & Coast Guard Investors & financial services Construction and dredging companies Environmental agencies, services & NGOs National lawmakers & regulators International and EU institutions Maritime & shipping lawyers International & competition lawyers Port authority lawyers In-house company lawyers Port managers Harbour masters Master mariners Pilots Surveyors Average adjusters Admiralty judges Legal academics Port consultants Port and maritime economists PORTIUS INAUGURATION CEREMONY Ghent, 7 September 2010 PLACES OF REFUGE THE NEW INTERNATIONAL AND EU REGIME INTERNATIONAL AND EU UPDATE SEMINAR ON PLACES OF REFUGE Ghent, 13 October DAY INTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME IN INTERNATIONAL AND EU PORT LAW Ghent / Bruges / Zeebrugge / Brussels / Antwerp, 30 March 8 April 2011 INTERNATIONAL AND EU SEMINAR ON PORT CONCESSIONS Ghent, 8 April 2011 PORT LAW IN 2011: TRENDS, CHOICES AND EXPECTATIONS FIRST INTERNATIONAL AND EU PORT LAW CONFERENCE Bruges / Zeebrugge, June 2011

2 THE WORLD S FIRST EVER PORT LAW CENTRE Portius is a brand-new law centre with focus on international and EU port law. Portius is the world s first institution to specialise in the study of the law of both maritime and inland ports. Port law is essential to the functioning of ports, traditional gateways to global trade. In a fascinating way, port law combines port-related aspects of maritime and transport law, international law of the sea, public law, economic law, labour law, environmental law and various other branches of the law. Portius is based on a genuinely international and EU-inspired network. All educational, research and consultancy institutions, as well as port law practitioners, academics, port industy players and port professionals are warmly invited to join as advisors or partners. A broad range of port industry-oriented activities Portius offers a specialised top-level course in port law for lawyers and experienced port managers. The centre hosts an annual port law conference and publishes a port law yearbook, and it organises events and tailor-made training courses on all relevant port law issues. Portius is guided by the overall objective to meet the needs of port policymakers, the port and shipping industry and the port-based legal profession. Portius uses English as its main language. Management Portius is managed by an Executive Board and a Steering Committee with guidance from a Board of Patrons and a Board of International and EU Advisors. Executive Board Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk (Chairman) Port Law Professor at Ghent University Joachim Coens Chairman - Managing Director of the Port of Zeebrugge Jan De Mondt Acting Director of the Development Office of the College of Europe Daan Schalck CEO of the Port of Ghent Prof Dr Eduard Somers Chairman of the Maritime Institute of Ghent University PORTIUS INAUGURATION CEREMONY Ghent, 7 September 2010 Portius was inaugurated at the Castle of the Counts in Ghent on 7 September 2010 by Hilde Crevits, Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Giovanni Mendola, Principal Administrator of the Ports Policy Unit of the European Commission, Daniël Termont, Mayor of the City of Ghent, Prof Dr Paul Van Cauwenberge, Rector of Ghent University, Jan de Mondt, Director of Administration and Finance, Acting Director of the Development Office of the College of Europe, Paul Breyne, Governor of the Province of West Flanders, André Denys, Governor of the Province of East Flanders, Joachim Coens, Chairman - Managing Director of the Port of Zeebrugge, Christophe Peeters, Chairman of the Port of Ghent and Daan Schalck, CEO of the Port of Ghent. Portius Chairman Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk delivered the inaugural lecture The law ends where the port area begins - On the anomalies of Port Law. The main partners of Portius signed a formal cooperation agreement expressing their ambition to develop Portius as the leading international and EU port law centre. For sponsorship opportunities guaranteeing worldwide visibility in the port, shipping and legal industries, free-of-charge participation in events and programmes and various other benefits, go to

3 PLACES OF REFUGE THE NEW INTERNATIONAL AND EU REGIME INTERNATIONAL AND EU UPDATE SEMINAR Ghent, 13 October 2010 The environmental catastrophes caused by the Erika and the Prestige casualties have prompted regulatory action at various levels. This legal seminar is the first to critically analyse new instruments of law adopted by the Comité Maritime International and the European Union. In 2008, the CMI made the first attempt in history to codify international law on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance. The CMI Draft Convention contains, inter alia, clear-cut rules on the right of access and on liability in case of refusal of access. Issued by the world s leading association of maritime lawyers, the Draft Convention may serve as an authoritative codification of existing customary law, regardless of how IMO Member States respond to it. In 2009, the EU complemented the Traffic Monitoring Directive with detailed rules on the accommodation of distressed ships in EU waters, including on the right of access, intervention plans and financial securities. These new provisions, which are currently being implemented by national legislators, to some extent conflict with the interpretation of international law provided by the CMI. In accordance with the new EU Directive, the European Commission must also formulate proposals for a just compensation of economic loss suffered by EU port authorities. In addition to these regulatory developments, considerable new indepth legal research has been performed, leading to two major studies on places of refuge and providing new perspectives on the controversy among lawyers on the existence of the right of access for distressed ships. In addition, an ongoing research project looks into the interrelation between the places-of-refuge problem and the transportation of illegal immigrants and stowaways. This update seminar provides clear answers by policy makers and leading experts to, inter alia, the following questions: Do the new CMI and EU rules grant a right of access to a place of refuge? Is a coastal or port authority liable in case of an unreasonable denial of entry? Why is the CMI Draft Convention a relevant source of law even in the absence of its entry into force as a treaty? What are the differences between the new CMI and EU rules? What are the deficiencies of the CMI and EU rules? Does the new EU Traffic Monitoring Directive conform to international standards and, if not, which rules take priority? May an authority make access dependent on a financial security and, if so, what type of security? Will ports be compensated for losses caused by accidents? Do the rulings on the Prestige case by the Paris court impact on the positions of ships and authorities? Do the new regimes apply to offshore installations and drilling platforms? Is a state compelled to admit ships in distress carrying illegal immigrants or stowaways? Which legal lacunae are left by the CMI and EU instruments? Which additional EU initiatives are forthcoming? Are the new legal rules adequate from a policy perspective? Speakers include: Prof Dr Eduard Somers, Chairman of the Maritime Institute of Ghent University Dr Inken von Gadow-Stephani (Germany) Richard Shaw, CMI Rapporteur on Places of Refuge and Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Maritime Law, University of Southampton (United Kingdom) Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk, Member of the CMI International Working Group on Places of Refuge, author of Places of Refuge - International Law and the CMI Draft Convention (2010) Dirk Sterckx, European Parliament Rapporteur on Places of Refuge Dr Isabelle Corbier, Avocat at the Bar of Paris (France) Hugh Shaw, Secretary of State s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) (United Kingdom) Ms Jasmine Coppens, PhD Researcher, Maritime Institute, Ghent University Daniel Warin, Policy Officer European Commission, DG MOVE, Maritime transport policy: Regulatory questions, maritime safety & seafarers Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary-General, European Sea Ports Organisation Alfons Guinier, Secretary-General, European Community Shipowners Associations Archie Bishop, Legal Advisor, International Salvage Union Eelco Leemans, Acting Director of The North Sea Foundation (The Netherlands) The Belgian Minister for Mobility (tbc) For programme details, practical information and registration, go to

4 10-Day Intensive Training Programme in INTERNATIONAL AND EU PORT LAW 1ST EDITION Wednesday 30 March - Friday 8 April 2011 right in the maritime heart of Europe: Ghent - Bruges - Zeebrugge - Brussels - Antwerp (Belgium) The Intensive Course in International and EU Port Law is the only programme in the world to focus this branch of the law The 10-Day Intensive Training Programme in International and EU Port Law is a unique training programme consisting in a series of top-level courses that offer solid yet practical insight into all relevant sources of public and private port law. The course deliberately focuses on international and EU law, which form the common, legally binding framework for national port policymakers, port authorities, port-based companies, port users and port law practitioners. Where relevant to understanding international or EU rules, examples of national port regimes are touched upon from a comparative law perspective. The course is limited to a group of 30 participants and is taught over a 10-day period by a team of top international experts. It includes interactive sessions and meetings with high-level port policymakers and lawmakers, and offers participants an opportunity to meet fellow port law practitioners from other countries. The programme also encompasses tailor-made port visits to Ghent and Zeebrugge, two Belgian main ports at the heart of the Scheldt-Rhine delta, and an optional visit to Antwerp, Europe s second largest port. Students are provided with extensive course materials. The Intensive Course is open to lawyers and to holders of any Master s degree who are able to demonstrate a minimum of three years of professional experience with relevance to legal, regulatory or administrative aspects of port management. Ambitious objectives The objectives of the Intensive Course are: - to offer in-depth knowledge and understanding of international and EU law pertaining to maritime and inland ports - to explicate the port-related policy and lawmaking process at the international and EU levels - to point out opportunities and deficiencies in the law in order to enhance course participants awareness of their legal position in political and commercial negotiations and disputes - to clarify how port law interacts with daily port operations - to identify legal remedies and to elucidate procedural rules - to guide participants through all the relevant legal sources and to lay a foundation for further research - to provide an opportunity for participants to meet leading port policymakers and legislators and to join a network of specialised port lawyers. Professor profiles The courses are taught by a team of top specialists assembled by course director Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk, who has unique expertise in port law through more than 20 years of professional experience as a specialised port lawyer, policy advisor, researcher and teacher in Belgium and abroad. The lecturers for the First Edition of the Intensive Course in International and EU Port Law include: Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk, Chairman of Portius and the Royal Commission for Maritime Law Reform of Belgium, Research Professor with Ghent University, member of the CMI International Working Group on Places of Refuge, author of numerous studies on port law and advocate specialising in port law cases Prof Dr Dominik Hanf, Director of the European Legal Studies Department of the College of Europe Prof Dr Em Marc Huybrechts, Emeritus Professor of Maritime Law with the universities of Leuven and Antwerp (Belgium) and advocate Prof Dr Vaughan Lowe, QC, Chichele Professor of Public International Law, University of Oxford and Queen s Counsel (tbc) Dr Marios Meletiou, port labour specialist with the International Labour Organisation (Geneva) (tbc) Dr Benjamin Parameswaran, practising lawyer with the international law firm DLA in Cologne (Germany) and author of The Liberalization of Maritime Transport Services (2004) Prof Dr Vincent Power, Head of the Competition Law Unit of A & L Goodbody in Dublin (Ireland) and author of EU Shipping Law (2nd Edition, 2011) Dr Richard Shaw, Rapporteur of the CMI Working Group on Places of Refuge and research fellow at the Maritime Institute of the University of Southampton (UK) Prof Dr Eduard Somers, Professor of Law of the Sea, Chairman of the Maritime Institute of Ghent University and former Dean of the Law Faculty Drs Björn Cloots, PhD researcher in infrastructure charging at Ghent University Drs Frank Stevens, PhD researcher in transport under bills of lading at Ghent University and author of authoritative handbooks on transport under bills of lading and limitation of liability of ship owners under Belgian law. For programme details, practical information and registration, go to

5 International and EU Seminar on PORT CONCESSIONS Ghent, 8 April 2011 Over the past decades, the port sector has seen a remarkable revival of concessions as a legal tool for port management, investment and privatisation. Portius is organising the first seminar devoted to international and EU legal aspects of port concessions. Authoritative speakers will discuss the different types of port concessions, their practical importance and legislative framework, public procurement and competition issues and typical port concession clauses. PORT LAW IN 2011: TRENDS, CHOICES AND EXPECTATIONS FIRST INTERNATIONAL AND EU PORT LAW CONFERENCE Bruges / Zeebrugge, June 2011 From Tuesday 14 June to Friday 17 June 2011, Portius, the College of Europe and the Port of Zeebrugge will host the First International and EU Port Law Conference. In recent years both maritime and inland ports have been confronted with dramatic economic, geophysical, political and legal developments as well as new challenges. Portius offers players in the port and shipping sector and in the legal industry an opportunity to participate in a four-day global conference where leading experts and an international and EU audience will convene to discuss the background and impact on ports of new and forthcoming rules of public international public law, competition law, national port law and commercial shipping law. Issues to be addressed include: the current regime of maritime and inland ports under general international law and the Berlin Rules the impact on ports of recent case law on freedom of navigation on international rivers by the International Court of Justice ports and the EU-China Maritime Transport Agreement the opening of the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic new rules on ship formalities and facilitation of international maritime traffic the implementation in ports of international and EU sanctions on Iraq and other countries the relevance for ports of new treaties governing the Rivers Scheldt and Mekong, two of the world s major international waterways the legal regulation of the port services market, concessions, privatisation and monopolies examples of control of the port sector by national competition authorities, with pros and cons the existing and forthcoming EU legal framework of public funding of port investments the new regime of port management and administration in the EU s three largest ports (Antwerp, Hamburg and Rotterdam) and in various other countries recent national laws on shipping agency, pilotage and cargo handling the concrete impact on port authorities and terminal operators in various countries of the newly adopted Rotterdam Rules on the carriage of goods by sea. Papers presented at the conference will be published in the First Portius International and EU Port Law Yearbook, a copy of which is included in the registration fee. The conference offers excellent networking opportunities, including a welcome reception at the Town Hall of Bruges, a conference dinner in the port of Zeebrugge and a farewell drink. On the occasion of the conference, Portius will also honour distinguished port lawyers for their contributions to international and EU port law and policy. The organisers offer an attractive partner programme that includes visits to the historical Flemish ports and art cities of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp, as well as Brussels, the capital of the EU. For programme details, practical information and registration, go to

6 STRONG ACADEMIC AND PORT PARTNERSHIPS MAIN PARTNERS Maritime Institute of Ghent University The Maritime Institute of Ghent University is a research facility within the Department of Public International Law of the University of Ghent, Belgium. The Maritime Institute is the largest Belgian academic institution with focus on maritime law. Ghent University was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands. Today, it boasts around 32,000 students, making it one of the leading universities in the Dutch-speaking region. Ghent is only 30 minutes away from Brussels, the capital of Europe and centre of EU port policymaking. College of Europe The College of Europe is a unique university institute offering prestigious courses in European legal and other studies. It is located at two campuses: Bruges (Belgium) and Natolin (Warsaw, Poland). The College provides postgraduate education in an international environment characterised by linguistic and cultural diversity. Its Master of European Law (LL M) programme offers in-depth training in European law and has an outstanding reputation. Port of Ghent The Port of Ghent is a large multifunctional maritime port located in the heart of Flanders (Belgium) and the Scheldt-Rhine delta, annually handling approximately 25 million tonnes of maritime traffic, 3,000 seagoing ships and 13,000 inland barges and providing jobs to more than 37,000 people. The port comprises some 300 port-related companies and generates an added value of 7.69 billion euros. Port of Zeebrugge The port of Zeebrugge is one of Europe s main maritime hubs. Over the past fifteen years, Zeebrugge has become a multifaceted port for the handling of a wide range of cargo. In 2009, Zeebrugge was the 10th European container port and Europe s biggest ro-ro port. Zeebrugge is linked to the seaport of Bruges, which in the Middle Ages used to be Europe s main port and commercial centre. SPONSORS PORT INDUSTRY AND LEGAL PARTNERS Belgian Association of Port Employers Belgian Maritime Law Association (BMLA) Comité Maritime International (CMI) Container Owners Association DP World European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA) European Maritime Pilots Association (EMPA) European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) European Tugowners Association (ETA) Federation of National Associations of Ship Brokers and Agents (FONASBA) Flemish Ports Association Global Port Training Greenport Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) Port of Antwerp Port of Ostend Rent-A-Port Soresma BOARD OF PATRONS Paul Breyne, Governor of the Province of West Flanders Joachim Coens, Chairman - Managing Director of the Port of Zeebrugge Prof Dr Paul Demaret, Rector of the College of Europe André Denys, Governor of the Province of East Flanders Patrick Moenaert, Mayor of the City of Bruges Christophe Peeters, Chairman of the Port of Ghent Daniel Termont, Mayor of the City of Ghent Prof Dr Paul Van Cauwenberge, Rector of Ghent University STEERING COMMITTEE Prof Dr Eric Van Hooydonk, Chairman of Portius Jesús Ballesteros, Deputy Director of the Development Office of the College of Europe Jasmine Coppens, Assistant, Department of Public International Law and PhD Researcher, Maritime Institute, Ghent University Prof Dr Eduard Somers, Chairman of the Maritime Institute of Ghent University Patrick Van Cauwenberghe, Policy Director Socio-Economic Department, Port of Zeebrugge Kate Verslype, Policy Advisor, Port of Ghent BOARD OF INTERNATIONAL AND EU ADVISORS Prof Dr Kerim Atamer (Turkey) Dr Kay Uwe Bahnsen (Germany) Prof Dr Božena Bulum (Croatia) Prof Dr Hassania Cherkaoui (Morocco) Drs Björn Cloots (Belgium) Paul De Baets (Belgium) Dr Thomas Brinkmann (Germany) Prof Em Dr Leo Delwaide (Belgium) Francis De Ruytter (Belgium) Prof Dr Krijn F Haak (Netherlands) Prof Em Dr Rolf Herber (Germany) Stuart Hetherington (Australia) Prof Em Dr Marc Huybrechts (Belgium) Prof Dr Måns Jacobsson (Sweden) Prof Dr Boris Jerman (Slovenia) Herman Lange (Belgium) Wibke Mellwig (Germany) An Moons (Belgium) Prof Dr Proshanto Mukherjee (Sweden) Prof Dr Francesco Munari (Italy) Dr Elena Orrù (Italy) Dr Benjamin Parameswaran (Germany) Verónica Pérez del Val Sheriff (Spain) Prof Dr Vincent Power (Ireland) Prof Dr Francis Rose (United Kingdom) Isabelle Ryckbost (EU Inland Ports) Prof José Alfredo Sabatino Pizzolante (Venezuela) Dirk Sterckx, MEP (Brussels / Strasbourg) Drs Frank Stevens (Belgium) Prof Dr Rhidian Thomas (United Kingdom) Wesley Vandeven (Belgium) Prof Peter Van de Vijver (Belgium) Christien Van Vaerenberg (Belgium) Isabelle Van Vooren (Belgium) Frans van Zoelen (Netherlands) Dr Robert Vassallo (Malta) Patrick Verhoeven (EU Sea Ports) Prof Dr Em Willy Winkelmans (Belgium) Prof Dr Stefano Zunarelli (Italy) Photos courtesy of Eric Van Hooydonk, Hafen Hamburg Marketing, International Salvage Union, Mia De Wilde, Port of Zeebrugge and Stockholm Ports.