Dr Ann Fenech > Fenech & Fenech Advocates > Valletta, Malta > Lawyer Profile

Dr Ann Fenech

+356 21 241232 ann.fenech@fenechlaw.com View profile

Work Department

Marine Litigation.

Position

Partner

Career

Ann Fenech is a Partner at Fenech & Fenech Advocates – Malta.  She qualified in 1986 and immediately joined Holman Fenwick and Willan in London. In 1991 she moved from there to Chaffe, McCall, Phillips Toler and Sarpy in New Orleans.  In 1992 she joined Fenech & Fenech Advocates setting up the Marine Litigation Department. She was Managing Partner of the firm betwwen 2008 and 2020.

She has extensive experience in disputes ranging from ship building contracts to immediate casualty response in collisions having acted and advised some of the most important international maritime operators. She has been involved in the majority of serious casualties involving Maltese registered  vessels world wide and those occurring in Maltese territorial waters. She has worked on landmark cases including the explosion on board the Um El Faroud, the disappearance of the trawler Simshar, the Poker cases leading to a redrafting of the law on jurisdiction in rem; Finaval v Scorpio resulting in the largest award in damages at the time and the first ever court approved private sale of the vessel Thor Spirit.  She has extensive experience in Marine related transactional including having acted for the Malta Privatisation Unit on the privatisation processes related to the then Malta Drydocks.

She is the legal correspondent for the West of England, the American Club and Steamship mutual.

She has been responsible for the drafting of a number of laws related to the maritime sector including the Pilotage Regulations and the sections on Jurisdiction in Rem in the Code of Organisation and Civil Procedure.  She lectures extensively on the subject of Maritime Law in Malta and abroad.

Dr. Fenech lectures on Salvage, Pilotage, Towage and Collisions as well as Carriage of Goods by Sea at the University of Malta and delivers a series of lectures on Maritime Practice at the International Maritime law Institute.

She has written several articles in a number of publications and is responsible for the Chapter on Malta in the Ship Arrest Handbook published by LLP Ltd 1997 Edition; Shipping and International Trade Law published by Thomson Reuters (Professional) UK Ltd Edition 2015 and The Shipping Law Review published by Law Business Research Ltd Third Edition 2016.

In June 2008 she was elected President of the Malta Maritime Law Association.

In October 2010 she was appointed Executive Board Member of the European Maritime Law Organisation. In 2012, 2014 and 2015 she was awarded Best in Shipping Law at the European Women in Business Awards held in London.  In October 2013 she was appointed Honorary Patron of the Malta Law Academy under the auspices of the Maltese Chamber of Advocates and in June 2014 was elected on the Executive Council of the Comite Maritime International – the international organisation responsible for drafting the vast majority of international maritime conventions. She was subsequently chosen to chair the International Working group on Ship Finance Security Practices. In October 2015 she was appointed on the Malta Maritime Forum Board of Directors and in April 2016 she was also appointed to represent the Malta Maritime Law Association on the board of the government agency Malta Marittima. In September 2017 she was elected to serve a second term on the Executive Council of the Comite Maritime International. In November 2018 she was elected as Vice President to the Executive Council of the Comité Maritime International.

Languages

English, Maltese and Italian.

Memberships

2022 Ann Fenech elected President of the Comité Maritime International. The CMI celebrated its 125th anniversary at its conference, held from 18 to 21 October 2022 in its birthplace of Antwerp
November 2018 Elected as Vice President to the Executive Council of the Comité Maritime International
2017 Appointed Executive Councillor of the Comite Maritime International for a second term
2016 Appointed to represent the Malta Maritime Law Association on the Board of Malta Marittima Agency, a newly formed government agency
2015 Appointed on the Board of Directors of the Malta Maritime Forum
2014 Appointed Executive Councillor of the Comite Maritime International
2013 Honorary Patron of the Malta Law Academy
2012 – December 2013 Director of Bank of Valletta p.l.c.
2012-present Appointed Director of the public listed company Premier Capital plc
2012-present Appointed Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd Legal Correspondent for Malta
2011-present Lecturer on the Role of a Maritime Law Practitioner at the International Maritime Law Institute
2010-present Appointed American Club Legal Correspondent for Malta
2010-present Appointed Executive Board Member of the European Maritime Law Organisation
2008-present Elected President of the Malta Maritime Law Association
November 2008 – May 2015 Member of the Yachting Services Trade Section
2008-present Managing Partner of Fenech & Fenech Advocates
March 2008-May 2008 Appointed Director of Enemalta Corporation
2007-2008 Appointed Director of Malta Industrial Parks
2002-present Appointed West of England P&I Club Legal Correspondent for Malta
2002-present Appointed Arbitrator in Maritime Law by The Malta Arbitration Center
2000-2010 Chairman of The Pilotage Board
1993-present Lecturer on Carriage of Goods by Sea and Salvage, Towage & Pilotage at the University of Malta
1993-1996 Lecturer on charterparties at the International Maritime Law Institute
Member of the Malta Chamber of Advocates
Member of the International Bar Association
Founding Member of the Malta Maritime Law Association and current President
Member of the European Maritime Law Organization (London, U.K.)
Consociate of the London Institute of Marine Engineers
Associate Member of the International Salvage Union
Member of the Institute of Petroleum (London, U.K.)
Member of the London Maritime Arbitration Association
Member of Ship Arrested
Member of Melita Historika (Malta)
Member of the University of London Graduate Society

Education

• 1988-1989 LL.M. Degree in Maritime Law, • University of London 1986 LL.D. Degree, • University of Malta. Thesis: ” Liability without fault and the theory of Created risk in Tort” 1985 • Preparation of thesis at the Institute of advanced legal studies in London and Trinity College, Cambridge, UK 1984 • Diploma of Notary Public, University of Malta.