ShipCalculators.com

Regulation, Law, Compliance & Governance

Maritime Regulation, Law & Compliance

Maritime regulation is the body of binding instruments that set how ships are built, crewed, operated and policed across flag, port and coastal jurisdictions. The core treaties are IMO conventions: SOLAS 1974 for safety, MARPOL 73/78 for pollution (Annex VI Reg.14 caps fuel sulphur at 0.50% m/m since 1 January 2020), STCW 1978 for crew competency and MLC 2006 for seafarer labour. Regional law sits on top: EU 2023/1805 (FuelEU Maritime) and the EU ETS extension under Directive 2023/959 price shipping carbon, while UNCLOS 1982 fixes navigation rights. Port State Control under the Paris and Tokyo MoUs enforces all of it through inspection and detention.

This portal covers the legal and compliance view: the conventions, codes, liability regimes and enforcement bodies that bind owners and flag states. The physics and emissions science behind the same rules sits in /ship-science/ and /environment/.

Topic clusters

IMO framework & instruments

  • IMO convention index

    5 articles, 91 calculators

SOLAS & associated codes

MARPOL & decarbonization compliance

IMO/ILO conventions (manning, training, labour)

Maritime law, liability & insurance

  • Carriage-of-goods regimes (Hague-Visby, Hamburg, Rotterdam)

    4 articles, 3 calculators

  • Liability & compensation conventions (CLC/Fund/HNS/LLMC/Bunkers/WRC)

    10 articles, 4 calculators

  • Maritime liens, ship arrest & arbitration

    4 articles, 2 calculators

  • Marine insurance & P&I clubs

    5 articles, 17 calculators

  • Salvage, wreck & general average

    3 articles, 3 calculators

UNCLOS & law of the sea

Compliance, enforcement & flag/port-state

Calculators by subject

IMO framework & instruments

SOLAS & associated codes

MARPOL & decarbonization compliance

IMO/ILO conventions (manning, training, labour)

Compliance, enforcement & flag/port-state

Common questions

What is the difference between flag state and port state control?
A flag state regulates ships on its register and issues their statutory certificates; port state control, under regional MoUs such as Paris and Tokyo, inspects foreign ships in its ports and can detain a vessel that fails to meet SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW or MLC standards.
Which IMO conventions must a merchant ship comply with?
An international cargo ship must comply with SOLAS 1974, MARPOL 73/78 (six annexes), the Load Lines Convention 1966, STCW 1978, MLC 2006, the Tonnage Convention 1969 and COLREGs 1972, plus the ISM and ISPS Codes made mandatory through SOLAS chapters IX and XI-2.
Is the IMO sulphur cap the same as the EU ETS?
No. The MARPOL Annex VI 0.50% sulphur cap limits air pollution from fuel; the EU Emissions Trading System, extended to shipping by Directive 2023/959, requires owners to surrender carbon allowances for CO2, methane and N2O emitted on voyages touching the EEA.