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Nigerian Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has urged the judiciary to prepare for a new generation of maritime disputes arising from autonomous ships, digital shipping and the global transition to cleaner maritime transport.
Dr. Oyetola said the rapid evolution of maritime technology was creating unprecedented legal questions around liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations and the allocation of responsibility when autonomous vessels or their systems fail.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister said the digitalisation of shipping through electronic bills of lading, blockchain-enabled cargo documentation and digital freight contracts was transforming global commerce while creating “fresh evidentiary, contractual, and jurisdictional issues”.
“The prospect of vessels operating with limited or no human crews raises fundamental questions concerning liability, navigational responsibility, insurance, collision regulations, and the allocation of legal responsibility when technology fails,” Oyetola said.
He said the growing international focus on maritime decarbonisation and environmental responsibility would also generate increasingly complex disputes over environmental liability, pollution damage, regulatory enforcement and compliance with evolving international standards, urging judges to approach such cases with “sound legal reasoning, scientific understanding, and awareness of emerging international jurisprudence”.
Oyetola emphasised that by strengthening the mechanism for prompt and efficient resolution of shipping disputes through litigation and arbitration, Nigeria can successfully position itself as Africa’s premier maritime hub.
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