Stephenson Harwood marine and international trade partner Haris Zografakis has been appointed chair of a newly-established International Working Group (IWG) on Maritime Decarbonisation by Comité Maritime International (CMI).

The group will assemble leading maritime lawyers from the world's key maritime jurisdictions to address the legal aspects and challenges of decarbonisation in maritime trade. Haris, an expert on the contractual aspects of decarbonisation with more than 25 years of experience advising on all aspects of shipping and international maritime trade, will head a steering committee comprising Professor Charles Debattista, Joint Head of 36 Stone and Jolien Kruit, Partner Van Traa.

"Decarbonisation is one of the greatest challenges for maritime trade," said Haris. "While there has been plenty of focus on policy, technology and regulation, legal aspects have not attracted the attention they deserve. The role of the CMI International Working Group is to do just that."

Established in 1897, CMI is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organisation. It has a key role in the unification, and development, of maritime law, and has been instrumental in the drafting of more than a dozen international conventions that are critical to maritime trade, including the Hague Rules and the York-Antwerp Rules.