Approved In First Reading: The Newly Drafted Maritime Code Bill of Dominican Republic

In the session held on July 19, 2020 by the Senate of the Republic, was known and approved on first lecture the Maritime Code Bill, this for having been placed on the agenda by the senators thanks to the favorable report issued by the Bicameral Commission of the National Congress which studies the mentioned Bill. Therefore, the Chamber of Deputies will hold a session for the knowledge and lecture of the Bill, and later, if approved by the Deputies, it goes to the Executive Branch for the enactment and implementation.

With the approval of the Bill by the Senate, the Dominican Republic is one step away from having an updated, modern, adequate and adapted legislation to the new times in the maritime trade at a national and international level, leaving aside the set of scattered and old local laws that prevent a progressive development of the Dominican maritime sector.

In this sense, with the further approval of this Bill by the Deputies and the subsequent enactment by the Executive Branch, the Dominican Republic will be equipped with a legal framework that will allow to exploit the many competitive advantages derived from its geographical position and its status as a coastal and archipelagic State.

The purpose of this law is to regulate, within the territory of the Dominican Republic, the facts and legal relations concerning national and foreign maritime vessels, as well as those arising from transport and other maritime activities, in order to ensure and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties involved and, at the same time, promote the safety and development of the maritime sector, the economy and trade in the country.

Must be noted that in 2013, the law firm E&M International Consulting was appointed by the National Congress to write the draft of this Bill for the Dominican Republic, being chosen Ms. Lludelis Espinal as the Advisor and Writer of this draft. Also, the Tito Mella Foundation, Inc. participated in the consultation and drafting of the referred Bill, choosing Messrs. Lludelis Espinal and Esteban Mejía as the Foundation's representatives.

Messrs. Espinal and Mejía participated and collaborated in the meetings of the Technical Sub-Commission of the Bicameral Commission of the National Congress, formed by the public and private institutions of the national maritime and port sector, culminating in the drafting of the Bill that was approved in first lecture by the Senate yesterday.