A postgraduate qualification in Shipping Law offers a key advantage for legal professionals. The UCT Law programmes in this area will equip you with an in-depth understanding of the complex legal framework surrounding maritime activities, and will enable you to navigate disputes and provide expert counsel to multinationals, shipping companies, port authorities, trade authorities and representatives, and government bodies. A specialised postgraduate qualification in shipping law significantly improves your prospects for opportunities in law firms, multinational corporations, maritime arbitration centres, and government agencies, amongst many other entities.

The Faculty offers a number of postgraduate programmes in Shipping Law, as follows:

1. Professional Master’s in Shipping Law (coursework)
2. Master’s in Shipping Law (course work & dissertation)
3. Master’s by research only
4. PhD
5. While the Faculty does have a Postgraduate Diploma programme, it is not currently on offer.

The curriculum of the Shipping Law postgraduate diploma and Master’s programmes ensures that students develop an in-depth understanding, at the applicable level, of the fundamental principles, concepts and instruments in the field of shipping and maritime law. At the same time, the research-driven curriculum prepares students to engage with new developments in the ever-changing field of shipping.

Each of the postgraduate programme options have a different set of requirements and structure, and are taught accordingly. While courses are taught at the applicable level, the requirements across the qualifications are the same in terms of course work - requiring the completion of two core courses, and a choice of two of the electives on offer. The remaining requirements depend on which qualification you are pursuing, and can include:

1. additional research tasks for each course (Professional Master's);
2. or a dissertation (25,000 words) on a topic that you propose (Coursework & dissertation Master’s). 

In addition, students can undertake a Master’s by research only. The Shipping Law Unit also welcomes proposals for Doctoral Research (PhD) on all shipping and maritime related topics. Enquiries can be made directly to Head of Shipping Law, Dr Warren de Waegh.

For each postgraduate programme, students must take four courses, two compulsory and two electives, are Maritime Law and Carriage of Goods by Sea, as compulsory courses, and Admiralty Jurisdiction and Practice and the International Law of the Sea as recommended electives, next to other elective options, including Law of International Trade, International Commercial Transactions Law, Principles of Environmental Law, and Commercial Arbitration.

Core courses
• Maritime Law
• Carriage of Goods by Sea

Electives (choose two)
• Admiralty Jurisdiction and Practice
• Commercial Arbitration
• International Law of the Sea
• International Commercial Transactions Law
• Marine Insurance Law
• Law of International Trade
• Principles of Environmental Law

Research component
• PG Diploma (when on offer): none
• Professional Masters: Research task for each course
• Coursework & Dissertation Master’s: Minor Dissertation

Number of credits
LLM (Professional Master’s): 4 courses @ 30 credits each and 4 research tasks @ 15 credits each.
LLM/MPhil: 240 credits: 4 courses @ 30 credits each and a dissertation @ 120 credits.

• PGDip (when on offer): 120 credits: 4 courses @ 30 credits each.

The programmes are all offered on a full-time or part-time basis. On a full-time basis the programme should be completed within a year, with students taking two courses in the first semester and two in the second semester and completing the research component (whether research tasks or minor dissertation) in that time.

On a part-time basis, the programme should be completed within two years, with students taking one course per semester over the course of the four semesters making up the two years of academic study.
These programmes are not offered on a distance-learning basis. Attendance at on-campus lectures is required.

The admission requirements for the postgraduate programmes offered by the Law Faculty are, for the most part generic. An LLB degree with an average of 65% or above will guarantee admission to these programmes. All other admissions, including those from applicants without an LLB degree are discretionary. For the Shipping Law programmes specifically, applicants without a law degree may be admitted on the basis of appropriate qualifications and work experience. Admissions are determined centrally by an Admissions Committee, but their decisions are based in part on recommendations from programme convenors.

There are a number of focus points in research currently being undertaken in the Shipping Law Unit. These include:

• Maritime Decarbonisation
• African Perspectives to Uniform Maritime Law
• Sustainable financing of maritime trade (Maritime Liens and Ship Mortgages)
• Restructuring and bankruptcy of shipping companies

Member of the Maritime Law Association of South Africa

Member of the Comité Maritime International, in particular Member of the International Working Group on Maritime Decarbonisation and of the International Working Group on Security Interests over Shipping  Containers.

The Hare & Bradfield Prizes in Shipping Law
These two shipping law prizes have been established by Dr Chukwuechefu Ukattah in recognition of the contribution made to teaching and research in Shipping Law by Professor John Hare and Associate Professor Graham Bradfield. The prizes are as follows: Hare Prize for Carriage of Goods by Sea: This award is for the best LLM student in Carriage of Goods by Sea. Bradfield Prize for Admiralty Law: This award is for the best LLM student in Admiralty Law.

If you have any questions about programme details, the application process or fees, please contact Clare Richfield in the Faculty Office 

If you have academic queries about Shipping Law, please contact Head of the Shipping Law Unit, Dr Warren de Waegh.