he British Maritime Law Association was founded in 1908. Its purpose is and always has been to promote the study and the advancement of British maritime and mercantile law: to promote and consider with foreign and other maritime law associations proposals for the unification of maritime and mercantile law in the practice of different nations: to afford opportunities for members to discuss matters of national and international maritime law: to collect and circulate amongst its members information regarding maritime and mercantile law and to establish a collection of publications and documents of interest to members. (The text of the constitution will be found hereafter.)
Membership consists of representatives from the following groups: shipowners, shippers, merchants, manufactures, insurers, insurance brokers, tug owners, shipbuilders, port and harbour authorities, bankers, classifications societies or other societies or bodies interested in the objects of the Association. The Association also has a number of individual members who may be employees of corporate or institute members or barristers or others with out a corporate identity.
The Association has two principal functions. Firstly it acts as an adviser to U.K. Government bodies responsible for maritime legislation or regulation and secondly, it co-operates with its international parent body, the CMI, in research and drafting of international instruments for the harmonisation of maritime and mercantile law.