Maritime Law

Maritime Law is a trendy and popular specialisation in the field of law. Also known as Admiralty Law, this branch of law is undertaken by students usually at the postgraduate level. The course of Maritime Law comprises a body of laws, treaties, and conventions that govern private maritime business and other nautical matters. These matters also include legal systems involving things such as shipping or offences occurring on open water. An important aspect of the Maritime Law programme is the study of international rules that are required for governing the use of the oceans and seas. This part of Maritime Law is known as the Law of the Sea.

The objective of the study of Maritime Law is to understand the set of rules and regulations that govern private maritime questions, disputes, offences and other nautical matters. In almost all the developed countries, the maritime law follows a separate code and is identified as an independent jurisdiction from national laws. Students who study the programme of Maritime Law are equipped with all the knowledge regarding the legal system that is followed on the seas. This is one of the evolving and unique fields of law. Usually, the course of Maritime Law is completed via a masters degree but students can also pursue diploma or certificate level courses in Maritime Law.

Maritime Law Highlights

Some basic details of the course Maritime Law have been provided in the table below. Candidates can check these details in order to get a better understanding of the programme of Maritime Law.

It is mandatory for students to fulfil the eligibility criteria of Maritime Law in order to pursue the specialisation. The candidate must be aware that the eligibility criteria of Maritime Law prescribed by every college or university can be different from each other. If any student applies for admission to the desired college without being eligible for maritime law, his/her candidature would be considered as invalid. The Maritime Law eligibility criteria have been given below.

• The candidate must have completed his/ her education up to a certain level for the type of maritime law course that he/ she wishes to pursue.
• For admission to the degree of LLM, the student must have completed a bachelor's degree in law from a recognised university.
• Admission to diploma programmes in Maritime Law is given to candidates who have completed their higher secondary education or class 12th from a school of a recognised board of education. Some institutes may also ask the students to have a bachelor's degree.
• Certificate level courses are open for candidates who have completed class 10th or class 12th and received passing marks in all the subjects.
• The aggregate marks scored by students in their qualifying examinations must be around 45 to 50 per cent or more.
• Certain colleges provide relaxation in the aggregate marks to the candidates of reserved categories.

Maritime Law Admission Process

Every candidate has to go through an admission process of the institute or university that he/ she has targetted for admission to the course of Maritime Law. Usually, there are two kinds of admission processes that almost all the institutes follow for shortlisting students.

Some colleges conduct an individual entrance exam to admit students to the course while others consider the score obtained by candidates in the national level entrance exams of law.

Some colleges also enrol students on the basis of their merit in the qualifying examination. The better the marks of the candidates in the qualifying examination the higher are his/her chances of getting admission in the college.

The syllabus of Maritime Law differs depending upon the level of the course and the institute or college from which the student pursues the programme. The topics that are covered in the course of Maritime Law have been given below.

The scope of Maritime Law has been on a constant rise. Candidates who have completed a degree in Maritime Law can find lucrative jobs for themselves in the fisheries and marine sectors. The rising national and international water disputes require law professionals who have insightful knowledge about the laws of the ‘Dry Land’ that are laid down by states and nations one is working with. The disposal of such cases becomes critical for protecting national security and economic purposes of a nation. Many job opportunities are available for Maritime lawyers in sectors like Port Authorities, Ship Owning Companies, Law Firms, Insurance Companies, advisory positions in the government sector, Public and Private dealing in Maritime transportation. Here are some of the most sought-after job roles of students who have a degree in maritime law.

• Legal Advisor of Maritime Law
• Legal Counsel
• Maritime Lawyer
• Maritime Law Advocate
• Maritime Law Associate