Insights

Welcome to our latest edition of the GANADO Shipping & Maritime Law Newsletter.

In this issue we provide insight into the recent tonnage tax update and report on all announcements by the Malta Shipping Directorate.

We also include details about the latest articles and publications that the Shipping team at GANADO Advocates contributed to over the past few months, namely the legal developments in ship management with reference to European Commission’s endorsement of the Maltese tonnage tax.

In addition, we share news about events that we recently participated in, such as the Posidonia Conference in Greece.

We trust you will find this issue of the newsletter to be of interest. Please free to get in touch with us should you require any further information on any of the reports in this edition.

Jotham Scerri-Diacono

News

GANADO Advocates attend Posidonia 2018

Dr Jan Rossi and Mr Ilias Theocharis, GANADO Advocates’ Shipping team Associates, attended the Posidonia conference between June 4th-8th, which tackled such issues as shipping policy, trade and finance, port development, shipping markets and others.

Read more here >>

GANADO Advocates offers two graduates from UK a six-week internship

Nikita and Konstantin, recent University of Plymouth graduates, talk about their experience at the firm.

Dr. Jan Rossi attends Mediterranean Tourism Forum

On 1 March, the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation held a Masterclass on the Blue Growth Initiative, Innovation and Nautical Tourism as part of the Mediterranean Tourism Forum 2018.

Read more here >>

Legal updates

Tonnage Tax

In observance of the Commission’s decision of December 2017, Malta has by virtue of Legal Notices 127 and 128 of 2018 (effective 1 May 2018) revisited and amended its tonnage tax law.

Legal Notice 140

A new incentive in the form of Legal Notice 140 of 2018 has just been promulgated. The legal notice entitled “Qualifying Employment in Maritime Activities and the Servicing of Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Activities (Personal Tax) Rules, 2018” has introduced new rules which provide tax incentives to employees employed with technical managers of ships that hold a DOC under the ISM or other qualified employment in maritime activities, and in the servicing of offshore oil and gas industry.

For further details please contact our Shipping team members directly.  More information will also be available in the next issue of our Newsletter. 

Articles and publications

Recent Legal Developments In Ship Management

Despite the range of maritime services offered in Malta, the presence of third party ship managers there is practically negligible. In order to attract ship managers to Maltese shores, a comprehensive, stable and functional legal framework on ship management and on the formation, operation, regulation and taxation of ship managers is indispensable.

Read more here >>

MSD notices

• MSD Shipping Notice 143 on Registration In Terms Of the Merchant Shipping (Taxation and Other Matters Relating to Shipping Organisations) Regulations 2018
  16th April 2018
  
• MSD Technical Notice SLS 8 Rev 2 on Immersion Suits and Anti-Exposure Suits
  23r April 2018
• MSD Shipping Notice 99 Rev 2 on Contact Details of the Merchant Shipping Directorate
  2nd May 2018
• MSD Technical Notice MARPOL.7 on Electronic Records Books for MARPOL Related Record Keeping
  15th June 2018
  
• MSD Shipping Notice 144 on Implementation Of the International Convention Of Standards Of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping For Seafarers, As Amended
  22nd June 2018
• MSD Shipping Notice 145 on Compliance with Directive 2014/90/EU on Marine Equipment
  28th June 2018
• MSD Information Notice 30 on Fatalities Associated With Lack Of Communication And Assistance
  2nd July 2018

We trust that this issue of our shipping and maritime law newsletter was of interest to our readers. Should you have any queries, feedback or suggestions to make, please feel free to contact Jotham Scerri-Diacono, Karl Grech Orr or Daniel Aquilina. We will be pleased to hear from you.