BEIJING CONVENTION ON JUDICIAL SALE OF SHIPS ENTERS INTO FORCE

Today, 17 February 2026, the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, also known as the Beijing Convention, enters into force.

This is the culmination of a process that started in 2007 when the Comité Maritime International (CMI) drew the shipping community’s attention to problems arising around the world from the failure in recognising the free and unencumbered title given to purchasers of vessels in judicial sales. UNCITRAL picked up the gauntlet and turned the CMI’s Beijing Draft into an international convention, which was adopted by a resolution of the United Nations on 7 December 2022.

The CMI and European Transport Law (ETL) issued a booklet (https://comitemaritime.org/cmi-and-etl-announce-the-joint-publication-of-the-judicial-sales-bible/) containing not only the text of the Convention in all 6 authentic language versions, but also a commentary co-authored by experts who have actively contributed to the genesis of the Convention within UNCITRAL Working Group VI (Judicial Sale of Ships), as well as the Explanatory Note prepared by the UNCITRAL Secretariat and reflecting the deliberations of UNCITRAL Working Group VI (Judicial Sale of Ships). This ‘bible’ on the Beijing Convention concludes with contributions by a number of professional organisations, representing amongst others the ship owning community, shipping financiers, flag states and the judiciary, expressing their support for the Convention and the need for States to sign and ratify it.

More on www.comitemaritime.org and www.europeantransportlaw.com.