On 17 February 2026, the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the Beijing Convention) entered into force. The Convention establishes a harmonized framework for recognizing judicial ship sales across jurisdictions.
The Convention addresses a long-standing practical concern in international shipping: purchasers of vessels sold through court proceedings have historically faced the risk that creditors might seek to arrest the ship in another country for claims arising before the sale. Under the new regime, where a judicial sale is conducted in accordance with the Convention’s requirements and the prescribed certificate is issued, other contracting States must recognize the sale and the transfer of ownership.
In practical terms, this means that a vessel sold through a qualifying judicial process should be protected from arrest or enforcement action in another contracting State in respect of pre-sale claims.
Article 8 is of particular operational relevance. It provides that courts or authorities in contracting States must decline requests to arrest or detain a vessel for claims arising before a recognized judicial sale and must release the vessel if such measures have already been taken, subject to limited exceptions.
For further information, Members are referred to the full text of the Convention, accessible via this link.
Should our Members have any questions regarding its practical implications of the Beijing Convention, NNPC Claims team remains 24/7 available for assistance at claims@nnpc-marine.com.
