Solicitor for Maritime Law in Zurrieq

I’m not an EU citizen and I’m interested in registering my yacht under the Malta flag given its international reputation. I want to understand whether my nationality would actually prevent me from doing this, or whether Malta’s ship registry is genuinely open to non-EU owners as well.

I agreed verbally with a boat owner in Malta to charter their vessel for a specific period, including the agreed price and dates, but nothing was put in writing at the time. The owner is now saying the arrangement is off and wants to charter it to someone else instead who is offering more money. Can I actually enforce our original verbal agreement?

I’ve heard about ships sometimes being ‘arrested’ in port over unpaid debts or disputes, and I want to understand what this actually means in a legal sense for a Malta-flagged vessel, and what circumstances could lead to this happening.

I’m involved in operating a Malta-flagged vessel that has connections, through cargo or prior ownership history, to parties potentially affected by international sanctions. I want to understand what could actually happen if the vessel were seized or detained by foreign authorities enforcing these sanctions, and how Maltese authorities would be involved.

I own a yacht currently registered elsewhere and I’m considering re-registering it under the Malta flag, having heard this is a popular choice internationally. What are the actual practical benefits of doing this, and is the process genuinely straightforward?

I obtained a court judgment against a shipping company based in Malta through legal proceedings in another country, and I now want to actually enforce that judgment against the company’s assets in Malta. Is this something Maltese courts would actually recognise and allow?

I’m setting up a commercial shipping operation using vessels based in Malta, and I want to understand what insurance coverage is actually a legal requirement, as opposed to what might simply be commercially prudent to have in place.

I operate a vessel registered under the Malta flag and I’m looking to hire crew members who are not Maltese nationals. I want to understand whether this is permitted, and what kind of certification or documentation these crew members would actually need to legally work on a Maltese-registered ship.