Does Qatar need a new maritime law?
The State of Qatar is a distinguished strategic waterfront, and the Qatari legislator regulates Qatari maritime navigation with many relevant laws, the most important of which is Maritime Law [A] No. 15 of 1980, followed by Decree Law [B] No. 29 of 1966 regulating Qatar’s seaports, and Law No. 8 of 2017 regulating [C] Practicing marine business in the waters of the State of Qatar, which is the law that has been replaced by Law No. (16) of 1980 regarding coastal maritime transport [D] (cancelled).
Since the issuance of the Maritime Law regulating marine business since 1980, new developments and challenges have taken place in the marine community, such as plastic pollution and its toxic impact on coral reefs, with its importance to preserving marine life, as well as developments in overfishing methods and their impact on the balance of the marine environment and the diversity of it and also the conservation of fish stocks.
As well as the great diversity of marine transportation with their different names, such as ships, boats, submersible machines and floating machines, whether those marine transportation are dedicated to maritime transport, navigation or entertainment and tourism, as well as the expansion and development that has occurred at the seaports, whether existing or recently established, With its significant positive impact on the international trade movement that takes place by sea. The State of Qatar is exported as an important waterfront and a major station for global trade that travels by sea.
There has also been a great development in the maritime community with maritime sales, which is represented in the growing and continuous technological development on the capacity and speed of the maritime transport, and its effects on the development of international trade that depends on the sea in transport between different countries and societies.
International trade has gone through successive periods of turmoil due to the emerging Corona virus since 2019 until now, especially in long-term contracts, changing consumption and spending patterns, and also changing insurance concepts and protection programs for ships, as well as mixing responsibilities between shipmasters, carriers, owners, shippers and other persons of the maritime community.
Now, more than forty years after the issuance of Qatar Maritime Law No. 15 of 1980, does Qatar need a new maritime law to meet the developments and challenges of maritime trade?
“To be continued..”
[A] Published in the Official Gazette 12 on 01/01/1980, pg. 890.
[B] Published in the Official Gazette 07 on 01/01/1966, pg. 3641.
[C] Published in the Official Gazette 07 on 06/21/2017, pg. 3.
[D] Published in the Official Gazette 13 on 01/01/1980, pg. 3290.