Hague Rules - 100 years

The «Hague Rules» Convention is approaching its 100^th Anniversary. Portugal acceded to the 1924 Brussels Convention in 1931 (Carta de Adesão of 5th December 1931, deposited on 12th December 1931, and published at the Diário do Governo in 1932). Many States are Contracting Parties, and Bills of Lading all over the World incorporate its provisions, either in their original version, or with the amendments of the Visby Protocol (1968). Attempts have been made to have more modern solutions, but either they were adopted by only a few States, or they did not take effect until now. And that is also an evidence of the importance of the «Hague Rules».

Therefore, 2024 will be time to celebrate, and the Institute for Legal Research of the Law Faculty of the University of Coimbra intends to be at the centre of those commemorations. Several events are being planned (an Anniversary Volume, a Congress, Webinars…) to discuss the «Rules» and its application, but also to have an insight on the challenges that maritime transport will be facing in the years to come: security risks, environmental concerns, autonomous ships… The Anniversary will be an opportunity to think about all those issues and many more, and to pay a tribute to the Portuguese maritime tradition.

Stay tuned!