The MASS Code secures the authorisation to operate, not liability. Where SOLAS and the COLREGs still bind, why nautical fault collapses, and what the contract must allocate.
Autonomous ships and the IMO MASS Code: maritime liability in 2026 Read Post »
Who owns a hull under construction, who bears its loss, what the bank can take security over, and why the delivery protocol matters more than the contract itself.
Yacht construction and sale: the six points that decide ownership, cost and cover Read Post »
Co-owners of a vessel are all managers by default and all liable for its debts. What the agreement must settle, and why the timeshare rules can apply to a yacht.
Yacht co-ownership and fractional use: the agreement that prevents disputes Read Post »
Why a yacht policy is governed by ordinary insurance law, what an insurer may and may not rely on, and how the two-year period is interrupted before it runs out.
Pleasure craft insurance: refusal of cover, two-year limitation, abandonment Read Post »
What the French flag requires, what the single registration formality involves since 2022, which documents are needed, and what happens on a change of flag.
Francisation and registration of a vessel: the difference and the steps Read Post »
Three competing regimes govern foreign decisions in France. Which one applies, what the court actually reviews, and why the location of the assets decides the outcome.
Exequatur and enforcement of foreign decisions: the six decisive points Read Post »
The thirty days of observations, the three-year challenge, the two months to go to court, and how to defer payment against guarantees under the recodified Customs Code.
Customs assessment: challenging a French notice of recovery Read Post »
Non-preferential and preferential origin are separate regimes. How origin is acquired, why the importer carries the risk, and how far back an assessment can reach.
Origin of goods and customs duties: the mistakes that cost the most Read Post »
Force majeure is about impossibility, hardship about ruinous cost. Why monetary debts escape both, what sanctions do and do not extinguish, and what the clause must say.
Force majeure and hardship clauses in an international contract Read Post »
The CISG applies unchosen, a French court applies the Hague Convention of 1955 and not Rome I, and the battle of the forms is decided by the last document sent.
International sale of goods: the six points that decide which contract binds you Read Post »
