As mentioned in the Introduction the United Nations Commission on Trade Law (“UNCITRAL”), established by the U.N. General Assembly in 1966, is of growing importance in the development of maritime and trade law. UNCITRAL’s working sessions meet frequently in New York, and UNCITRAL’s annual sessions take place in New York in alternate years. Most recently, UNCITRAL has conducted working sessions on a new draft carriage of goods by sea convention, and active participants in the process have included members of the New York legal community. Past work of UNCITRAL has included the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the Hamburg Rules, the United Nations Convention on the Liability of Operators of Transport Terminals in International Trade and the UNCITRAL Arbitration and Mediation Rules.

Other societies, institutions and organizations dedicated to the improvement of maritime expertise abound in the New York area. The United States Merchant Marine Academy, the State University of New York Maritime College and the Webb Institute which grants degrees in naval architecture and marine engineering are all located in the New York metropolitan area. The New York area also is home to the Association of Average Adjusters of the United States, the American Institute of Marine Underwriters, the Society of Maritime Arbitrators, Inc., the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents. Each year the Maritime Law Association of the United States holds at least one of its two annual meetings in New York and a large portion of both its lawyer and non-lawyer membership are from the New York area. The Connecticut Maritime Association (“CMA”) is a thriving group of maritime companies located in adjacent Connecticut. Each year, the CMA helps organize an annual shipping conference that draws people from around the world to address topics of legal and commercial interest.