20Jul

Acumum – Legal & Advisory attended the 2022 Superyacht Symposium in Malta

20 July 2022 Acumum Legal & Advisory 90

July 2022. Acumum – Legal & Advisory attended the Superyacht Symposium in Malta – a first event of its kind, hosted by the Malta Chamber of Commerce and the Malta Maritime Lawyers Association, of which Acumum is a member.

The symposium was held over two days and featured important discussion topics such as: Malta as a yacht refit center, yacht marina facilities, Malta as a destination for superyachts, the interests of seafarers (including training) and regulatory issues surrounding superyachts. Hon. Dr Aaron Farrugia, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects and the Registrar General for Shipping, Mr Ivan Sammut attended, alongside ley speakers and panel moderators, from different areas in the industry so as to hold a wide-spectrum discussion on various matters of interest to stakeholders and their clients alike.

The aim of the symposium was to chart the future of the superyacht industry in Malta and the Minister announced the first National Superyacht Policy in his opening address. Indeed, the highly active discussions across all sessions indicated that this is very much an in demand initiative and will continue to ensure that Malta provides quality services to the superyacht industry.

The symposium acknowledged that the superyacht industry in Malta has continued to register growth, reflecting the success of the Maltese flag. The symposium identified a number of key strengths which can continue to be developed as the industry evolves. The Malta Ship Registry declared itself committed to continue to work hard with partners and stakeholders to take the superyacht industry to the next level. Industry stakeholders, including owners of shipyards, yacht builders, marine surveyors, accountants and auditors, tax advisors and lawyers were present to share ideas as to the full spectrum of services which is offered across Malta.

The Maltese flag for yachts provides a number of benefits: the strong reputation it enjoys as well as the robust legal framework and the ability for a foreign owner to register a Malta flag are just some of these incentives. Malta’s Commercial Yacht Code has long provided guidance to those superyachts wishing to engage in charter; for even larger yachts carrying more than 12 passengers, the recently published Passenger Yacht Code also continues to give further guidance, while ensuring the safety of those vessels carrying larger numbers of passengers, in compliance with international conventions. It was also suggested that guidelines for privately owned superyachts be issued, which would ensure speedier registration processes and the high quality of yachts registered in Malta.

Dr Geraldine Spiteri Director and Advocate – Acumum Legal & Advisory

Acumum Legal & Advisory’s Marine & Aviation team was present and participated in the discussions surrounding areas of interest to its maritime clients. The team is headed up by Dr Geraldine Spiteri, whose main practice areas are maritime and yachting, aviation and transport and corporate law. Dr Spiteri has worked in the yachting industry for over ten years, brings with her a range of experience and contacts that enables Acumum to ensure an all-round service to yacht-owning clients.

Dr. Geraldine Spiteri. I Head of Marine & Aviation.

gspiteri@acumum.com +366 2778 1700 ext 403

18May

Acumum Director receives Excellence Award, Maritime & Aviation, at the Women’s Economic Forum

18 May 2022 Acumum Legal & Advisory 89

Last night, Dr Geraldine Spiteri, director and advocate at leading Maltese specialists Acumum – Legal & Advisory received an award for Exceptional Women of Excellence in Maritime Law & Aviation, during a ceremony held at the Women’s Economic Forum networking event at the Valletta Waterfront, Malta. The 18^th May, is ‘International Women in Maritime Day’, a day when the global maritime industry celebrates the encouragement of women to work in the maritime industry.

The event was organised as part of a series of networking events for the Women’s Economic Forum (WEF), that is a part of the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce International (WICCI), Malta Branch – a business and industry that boosts and builds women’s entrepreneurship and businesses through greater engagement with government, institutions, global trade and networks. WICCI includes various free platforms, including the All Ladies League (ALL), and the SheEconomy. The group hosted leading women across the world working in high profile industries and established the new headquarters of WICCI Malta.

During her speech to express her thanks for this recognition, Dr Spiteri mentioned the ever-increasing role that women in maritime contribute to the maritime industry. Dr Spiteri promised to work within the industry to continue to promote the role of women in high positions in the maritime world. “I believe that women can also play an important role in the maritime economy and Malta is very well placed to put this matter on the agenda for continued developments in the maritime industry,” she said in her speech. “Together, this is something we can work on across our industries to be able to promote accessibility of these roles to women all over the world.” Dr Spiteri has also headed up a number of initiatives and spoken at key events, including a Women in Maritime held at the IMO International Maritime Institute on the empowerment of women in the maritime industry in 2019.

Dr Geraldine Spiteri celebrating the wining of her Women Economic Forum award

Within Acumum, Dr Spiteri heads up the Marine & Aviation team, which services clients wishing to register their yachts and aircraft, as well as those wishing to set up the ownership and operation of these assets within a corporate structure. Dr Spiteri is a Maltese advocate and lectures in maritime and aviation law.

Acumum Legal & Advisory is a fullservice boutique firm, providing a range of services including those relating to the registration and management of ships, yachts and aircraft.

To contact Dr Spiteri or to find out more about Acumum and its services call +356 2778 1700, email gspiteri@acumum.com or visit the company’s website at www.acumum.com.

12May

Acumum director to host global business and community forum

12 May 2022 Acumum Legal & Advisory 88

Dr Geraldine Spiteri, director and advocate at leading Maltese legal and advisory specialists Acumum – Legal & Advisory, is hosting a chamber on maritime, transport and logistics at the upcoming Women Economic Forum summit taking place in Malta between 16 and 18 May 2022.

The event commences with a one-day meeting hosting G100 event on Monday 16^th May, followed by the Women Economic Forum (WEF) conference, which is a series of discussion chambers as well as networking events on Tuesday 17^th May and Wednesday 18^th May. While G100 is a group of 100 female economic leaders around the world, WEF conducts global summits , offering a compelling platform for women to be increasingly involved in the business world, inspired by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, authors, thought leaders and celebrities.

The event will host women in leading roles – as well as male counterparts – from around the world, as well as Malta. On the agenda will be inclusion, public health, the arts, culture and language, sustainable energy, business and economic development, maritime affairs, logistics and environmental affairs.

Dr Geraldine Spiteri Director and Advocate (Malta) – Acumum Legal & Advisory

Dr Geraldine Spiteri, who specialises in maritime, aviation and corporate law, will be hosting a chamber within the WEF forum covering maritime affairs, blue economy, aviation, transport and logistics. These are matters that are of key interest to Malta in general, with Malta being a maritime hub and transport being a sector that has received major focus in recent years. The classification of the Maltese shipping register as the sixth largest maritime registry worldwide, and Europe’s largest and the increase in the number of aircraft registered under the Malta aircraft register are ample proof of the commitment by the Malta Government to increase these sectors.

‘Receiving an invitation to play a leading role in a global event of this scale, focused on these themes, is important both professionally and on a wider scale, is indeed an honour,’ Geraldine comments. ‘I’m looking forward to meeting passionate people, sharing views and taking part in interesting discussions and also widening my network of contacts in the industries that the chamber I will be hosting is tackling Acumum has always been an inclusive company and supporter of empowering women – encouraging and embedding the advancement of female entrepreneurship in Malta and globally is a cause we’re always pleased to support.’

While the G100 summit is only open to members of that group, the WEF Summit is open to a wider network and includes the chamber hosted by Dr Spiteri. Registration to the WEF Summit is open to all interested parties – male and female – from all over the world.

Acumum Legal & Advisory is a full-service law firm with services including aviation, corporate formation, accounting, estate and wealth planning, taxation, maritime and yachts, energy, intellectual property, to name a few.

To contact Dr Spiteri or to find out more about Acumum and its services call +356 2778 1700, email gspiteri@acumum.com or visit the company’s website at www.acumum.com.