ELSA Malta students win IMLI competition

Two student members of the European Law Students Association (ELSA) Malta came first and second respectively in the first edition of the International Maritime Law Institute essay competition.

David Testa placed first with his essay entitled Liability and Insurance for the Carriage of Passengers by Sea under Regulation 392/2009: Providing a Lifeline to the Cruise Industry and Ensuring Proper Compensation for Passengers in the Event of Accidents.

Kristina Miggiani placed second with her essay Towards Universality and Uniformity: Combating the Jurisdictional Challenges Facing the Prosecution of Somali Pirates in Light of the Legal Void Left by UNCLOS.

The competition, which was open to all ELSA members in Malta internationally, sought essays of 5,000 to 6,000 words in length on any topic of international maritime law that formed part of the current IMLI LL.M. syllabus.

Besides the two essays from ELSA Malta, two others were received, one from ELSA Helsinki and one from ELSA Prague. The essays were adjudicated by a four-member panel headed by Norman Martínez Gutiérrez, a faculty board member and senior lecturer at IMLI.

A ceremony was held recently at the IMLI premises at the University campus in Msida to award the prizes, which were offered by IMLI director David Attard. Mr Testa received a €600 cash prize, while Ms Miggiani received a book prize.