Maritime and Transport Law Committee – From the Editors – February 2026

Sarah Gahlen
Lebuhn & Puchta, Hamburg

María Belén Espiñeira
ESPIÑEIRA Maritime Lawyers, Buenos Aires

We are pleased to present this edition of the IBA Maritime and Transport Law Committee newsletter. It brings together a diverse and timely collection of articles contributed by practitioners from several jurisdictions.

This edition focuses on key developments and comparative perspectives in maritime and transport law, with particular attention to limitation of liability regimes, enforcement mechanisms, and recent case law affecting shipowners, charterers, insurers, and other transport interests. The contributions reflect both legislative evolution and judicial practice, offering practical insight into how these issues are addressed across different legal systems.

In this edition, readers will find articles covering a broad range of jurisdictions, including Argentina, Brazil, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Tanzania, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine. Together, they provide a valuable comparative overview of how shared legal concepts are applied, tested, and, in some cases, reshaped by local practice.

We have also included the always popular Meet the Officer feature, continuing our tradition of introducing the individuals who actively contribute to the work and development of the Committee. This time we introduce Diego de San Simón, our Website Officer.

This newsletter is published in the lead-up to the IBA Maritime and Transport Law Conference in Cape Town, 3–5 March 2026. We hope it will serve as both a useful technical resource and a point of connection ahead of our in-person discussions.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all authors for their contributions, as well as to our colleagues and Committee Officers whose continued engagement makes this publication possible. We warmly encourage members to submit articles and ideas for future editions.

We hope you find this issue informative and engaging, and look forward to connecting with many of you soon.