The growing international focus on autonomous vessels, digitalisation of shipping through electronic bills of lading, blockchain-enabled cargo documentation, digital freight contracts, transition to green maritime transport, and artificial intelligence is creating fresh evidentiary, contractual, jurisdictional issues and legal risks.

Speaking yesterday while declaring open the 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges in Abuja, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, said legal certainty remains the bedrock of maritime commerce, investment and sustainable economic development.

She declared that Nigeria’s quest to unlock the vast economic opportunities of the blue economy will remain unattainable without a strong, efficient and independent judiciary capable of delivering timely, impartial and predictable maritime justice.

The three-day seminar, organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), attracted Chief Justices, Presidents of Courts, judges, maritime regulators, legal practitioners, academics and judges from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gambia and other countries.

Justice Kekere-Ekun described international maritime law as one of the pillars of the global economy, noting that nearly 90 per cent of world trade is transported by sea.

She said the efficiency of maritime legal systems directly affects international trade, investment flows, food security, energy supply chains and sustainable economic growth.

She noted that Nigeria’s strategic position along the Gulf of Guinea and its vast maritime resources place the country in a unique position to benefit from the rapidly expanding blue economy.

According to her, the maritime sector now extends beyond shipping and ports to include fisheries, aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, marine biotechnology, coastal tourism and other ocean-based industries capable of driving industrialisation, job creation and economic diversification.

The CJN, however, stressed that these opportunities can only be fully realised where there is a legal system that protects commercial expectations, enforces contractual obligations and guarantees swift and impartial resolution of disputes.

“The effective administration of maritime justice is an indispensable pillar for advancing economic prosperity, safeguarding national interests and fostering investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector,” she said.

Meanwhile, while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, urged the judiciary to prepare for a new generation of maritime disputes arising from autonomous ships, digital shipping and the global transition to cleaner maritime transport.

Oyetola said the rapid evolution of maritime technology was creating unprecedented legal questions around liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations and the allocation of responsibility when autonomous vessels or their systems fail.

He said the growing international focus on maritime decarbonisation and environmental responsibility would also generate increasingly complex disputes over environmental liability, pollution damage, regulatory enforcement and compliance with evolving international standards, urging judges to approach such cases with sound legal reasoning, scientific understanding and awareness of emerging international jurisprudence.

Oyetola emphasised that by strengthening the mechanism for prompt and efficient resolution of shipping disputes through litigation and arbitration, Nigeria can successfully position itself as Africa’s premier maritime hub.

He said a predictable and internationally informed judiciary could reduce transaction costs, strengthen commercial confidence and encourage parties to choose Nigerian courts and Nigerian arbitration centres for the resolution of maritime disputes.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the event and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, emphasised the need for the speedy dispensation of admiralty justice and the prompt resolution of maritime-related disputes, noting that delays in the administration of justice could have far-reaching consequences for trade, shipping, investment, port operations and the wider economy.

He stressed that efficient and timely resolution of disputes was essential to maintaining confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector and enhancing the country’s competitiveness as a regional trade and shipping hub.