Comite Maritime International

The Comite Maritime International (CMI) is the international body that works toward uniform maritime and commercial law, founded in Antwerp in 1897. It is a federation of national maritime law associations, not a treaty organization, so it drafts model rules and conventions that states and the IMO may then adopt. CMI work underpins several core instruments, including the 1924 Hague Rules on bills of lading and the York-Antwerp Rules on general average. It maintains consultative status with the IMO and convenes conferences that produce comparative studies and draft texts on carriage, collision, salvage, and limitation.