Admiralty Division

The Cayman Islands flag is flown by more than 70 per cent of the world’s mega yachts and by an increasing tonnage of merchant ships, super tankers and cruise ships. In recognition of the potential for maritime litigation, a specialized admiralty division of the Grand Court was established and is served by judges experienced in the field of maritime law. At present the assigned judges are the Hon. Chief Justice and Hon. Justice Sir Peter Cresswell.

Already some cases coming before the Grand Court and the Court of Appeal have been dealt with under the modern regime created by the Merchant Shipping Act 1970 of the UK as extended to the Islands by the Merchant Shipping Act 1970 (Cayman Islands) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/246) and by the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 as modified and applied in the Cayman Islands by Schedule 2 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 (Cayman Islands) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/1841) including the various applicable regulations and conventions.

The presence of the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry in eight different countries around the world also speaks to the Government’s intention to widen the availability of its services.

The applicable laws and regulations and links to the applicable conventions are expected to be available on this website later this year.

Important decided cases are available in the Cayman Islands Law Reports which are also available on this site.