English Law

English law is the most common governing law chosen for international shipping contracts, paired with London arbitration or High Court jurisdiction. Its appeal rests on a deep body of commercial precedent, the Commercial Court and Admiralty Court, the LMAA, and statutes built for trade: the Marine Insurance Act 1906, the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 (enacting the Hague-Visby Rules), the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992 on title to sue, and the Arbitration Act 1996. Parties with no English connection routinely select it; the Rome I Regulation and the Hague Choice of Court Convention 2005 give effect to the choice across most jurisdictions.