The Malta Maritime Law Association (MMLA) has launched a website at www.mmla.org.mt, on the initiative of its research and administration executive Joe Borg Camilleri.

The non-profit organisation was set up in 1994 by a group of Maltese maritime professionals to promote the study and advancement of maritime law and administration, and to advance the unification of maritime and mercantile law through correlation with similar bodies in other countries.

The MMLA provides a forum for the discussion of topical matters in the maritime field. It is composed of members from the various sectors in the maritime environment and organises sub-committees and other fora to discuss current legislative pro-cedures and their impact on the maritime industry.

It is one of the national maritime law associations under the Comité Maritime International (CMI) umbrella. The CMI is an international maritime organisation based in Antwerp, formally established in 1897.

It is the oldest international organisation in the maritime field.

The MMLA website focuses on Malta's maritime tradition, maritime heritage and Malta's role as a maritime hub of the Mediterranean.

It is also a useful link for all the parties in the maritime envi-ronment and acts as a point of reference for those interested in the maritime sphere in Malta. Reports and papers prepared by MMLA subcommittees or by individual MMLA members will also be available on its website.

Other features include the current activities of the asso-ciation, the association's position during the EU maritime policy consultation process, the association's statute and other general information. A mem-bership application form may be downloaded from the site.

The website is in English. However, the aim is to develop the project further. One medium-term goal is to make the website available in other languages particularly since the website is part of the CMI network.