Master's Degree in Maritime Law and Business (MNDM)
In its 42nd edition, it is taught jointly with the Spanish Maritime Institute.
What does this Master's consist of?
The Master's Degree in Maritime Business and Law is taught jointly by the Spanish Maritime Institute and Comillas Pontifical University, through the Centre for Innovation in Law (CID-ICADE). The program responds to the growing worldwide demand for legal specialisation in the area of maritime law, as well as specialisation in the field of maritime business, and is aimed globally at all companies involved in this activity.
The importance of transport in international trade is well known. Maritime transport, after land transport, is the most widely used mode of goods transport. The European Union has recommended the promotion of maritime transport through Short Sea Shipping (SSS) as opposed to other modes of transport such as road, due to the congestion of European motorways and the high level of pollution it produces.
Maritime transport is the second most used mode of freight transport.
Students develop professional internships throughout the course, so they are interviewed by companies to find out if their profile and learning needs are in line with the company. They can also incorporate their profile into BlueUpTalent, a talent management service specific to the sector, so that students can access the labour market and alumni can also improve their professional development.
- CentersDerecho (Comillas ICADE)
- LanguagesSpanish
- CertificationComillas master's degrees
- Duration600 hours
- Starts On14/10/2026
If you would like to receive more information about this program, please complete the form below.
Want to know more?
Don't miss our explanatory video with first-hand testimonials from teachers and students.
Want to know more?
Don't miss our explanatory video with first-hand testimonials from teachers and students.
Faculty and extra information
Study Plan

Study Plan
Master's Degree in Maritime Law and Business (MNDM) / MNDM 24
MARITIME LAW, PUBLIC LAW OF NAVIGATION AND PORT LAW
- Introduction to Maritime Law
- Sea Law applied to navigation
- Administrative organization for navigation
- Merchant marine administrative legislation
- Administrative infractions and sanctions
- Port law: administration, services and tariffs
- Port handling legal regime
- Promotores de la unificación del Derecho Marítimo: CMI; OMI; UNCTAD; UNCITRAL
- Notions of fishing law
- Normativa especial de la Náutica de Recreo
- Basic shipping English law
NAVIGATION SAFETY AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
- IMO Conventions and EU Directives
- Pollution prevention: MARPOL, OPRC, BWM and AFS
- European legislation on maritime safety and pollution
- Navigation Safety in Maritime Traffic Regulation
- Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea and beaconing
- International code of Safety (ISM)
- Flag State Control: Inspection and certification of civilian ships and marine accident investigation
- Port State Control. Case study
- Maritime Security: ports and ships
- Protection against piracy: Private security on board
SUBJECTS OF NAVIGATION
- Owner, operator, disponent owner
- Ship managers
- Ship's complement
- Master, officers and crew, public regulations
- STCW requirements: training, nationality, crew and functions
- Seafaring agreements
- Organization assisting ships ashore: agents, broker, etc
- Liability of classification societies
THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE SHIP
- Ships, vessels and naval artifacts
- Autonomous ships
- Registration and flagging of vessel
- Case of study: Registration and flagging of ships
- Ship public registration
- Shipbuilding contract
- Case of study: Shipbuilding contract
- Ship fixing contract
- Sale & purchase contract
- Case of study: Sale & purchase contract
- Maritime mortgages
- Case of study: Maritime Privileges
VESSEL OPERATION AND AUXILIARY CONTRACTS
- Introduction, classification and sources
- Private International Law aspects of Maritime Contracting (applicable law)
- Leasing contract
- Case of study: Leasing contract
- Charter agreement
- Contract of carriage of goods by sea under bill of lading and carrier liability
- Case of study: Contract for the maritime transport of goods under a bill of lading
- Voyage contract
- Case of study: Voyage charter contract
- Time charter contract
- Case of study: Time charter contract
- Multi-modal transport contract
- Passage Contract
- Towing contract
Pilotage contract and marine pilots regime
- Loading and unloading contract
MARITIME SECURITY LAW
- Marines insurance contract; concepts, elements and basic principles
- Rights and obligations in the insurance contract
- Marine insurance for ships. Hull insurance.
- Case of study: Hull Insurance
- General average. Case of study
- Risks covered in goods transport by sea insurance
- Special coverages
- P&I Clubs and Stowaway coverages
- Land Insurance
NAVIGATION ACCIDENTS AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
- Collision at sea
- Case of Study: Collision at sea
- Marine salvage
- The role of the Central Maritime Court in salvage
- Case of Study: Marine salvage
- Civil liability for oil pollution damages at sea: CLC, Fund, Bunkers, HNS Conventions
- Civil liability for damages due to hazardous and noxious substances at sea
- Shipwreck: property, extractions and removals
- Liability global limitation
- Case of Study: Limitation of liability
MARITIME PROCEDURES
- International legal competency
- Arrest of ships
- Case of Study: Arrest of ships
- Execution on the vessel: forced sale
- Procedure for limiting liability for maritime claims
- Public certification of Maritime Law files
- Guarantees in Maritime Law
- Arbitration, conciliation, mediation, adr and other procedures
DESIGN AND MARITIME OPERATIONS
- Vessel theory. Maritime nomenclature. Types of ships.
- Shipbuilding
- Off-shore: oil and gas
- New energies: Offshore wind and marine energies
- Classification societies
- Maintenance and Repairs
- Ship documents and Vessel inspections
- Navigation
- Bunker supply: Case of Study Bunker supply
INTRODUCTION TO SHIPPING
- Organization and structure of the maritime industry
- Regular lines and supply chain
- Maritime markets
- The shipping company
- Shipping agents
- The shipping broker
MARITIME TRANSPORTATION: CARGOES, VESSELS AND ROUTES
- Introduction and market indices
- Liquid Cargo: Crude and Chemical oil products
- Petroleum and Chemical trafficking
- General cargo, multipurpose and containers
- Ro-ro cargo and passenger traffic: Ro-ro, car carriers, ferries and cruise ships
- Liquid Cargo: Liquefied Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas
- Dry cargo: Dry bulk transportation
- Special Cargo: Dangerous Goods
- Special Cargo: Project Cargo. Case of Study
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT
- Economic speed and energy efficiency
- Sustainability in maritime transport
- New energies: NOx, SOx and other particles. New fuels
- Case of study emissions
- Projects to reduce carbon footprint
SHIP MANAGEMENT: COST STRUCTURE
- Introduction to ship expenses. Capital costs
- Fixed operating costs: Personnel, maintenance, insurance and administration. Case of Study
- Variable costs: Bunker and port expenses
- Economic analysis of the liner: cargo related costs
- Ship operating calculation
SHIP MANAGEMENT: CHARTERING
- Introduction to chartering. Bareboat chartering
- Transport strategy. The chartering process and negotiation. Worldscale
- Voyage chartering. Shellvoy 5/Shellvoy 6 Analysis
- Dry cargo voyage chartering
- Time chartering
- Shelltime 4 analysis
- Vetting
- Case of Study. Time chartering
- Laytime and demurrage. Demurrage calculation
- Voyage analysis and Voyage documentation
- Chartering operations
- Alternative forms of chartering (COA and consecutive voyages)
- Case study. Freight market
- Freight equivalence: Equiflet
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND SUPPLY CHAIN
- Introduction to international trade
- Forms of payment and charge
- INCOTERMS
- Documents in international trade
- Costs in the international trade
- Intra-European Multimodal Transport
- The function of Customs in the international trade
- Commodities trading
- Supply and purchases of gas and coal
- Supply and purchases of crude oil and refined products
- Bunker purchases and supplies
- Analysis of crude oil purchase and sale contracts. Case of Study
- Green Molecule Trading
MARITIME POLICY
- International Maritime Organization. Structure and operation
- Models of maritime administration
- Case of study: International Maritime Policy
- EU maritime policy
- Registrations open
MARINE INSURANCE
- Introduction to maritime insurance
- Ship insurance
- Marine cargo insurance
- Case of study: Cargo insurance
- Claims management
- Marine liabilities insurance
SHIPPING STRATEGIES
- Shipping pools & joint ventures
- Transport strategy / Shipowner and charterer strategy
- Freight futures and hedging
- Maritime asset and risk management
ECONOMIC-FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE COMPANY
- Accounting I: General Chart of Accounts
- Accounting II: Balance sheet. Profit and loss
- Accounting III: Credits and their return
- Case of study: General Accounting Plan
- Accounting IV: Analysis of balance sheets, ratios
- Case of study: Analysis of balance sheets, profit and loss account
- Auditing of accounts and due diligence
- Insolvency acts
TALENT MANAGEMENT
- Personnel Selection
- Effective communication, presentations
- Team Management
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
- Digitization processes. Data analytics: Machine learning
- Automation and digitization in the maritime sector
- Entrepreneurship in the maritime sector
- Digital transformation in the port sector
- Digital twins and artificial intelligence. Case of study
- Basic concepts of technology and supply chain
- Introduction to Blockchain technology and smart contracts
- Cases of study in the supply chain: maritime trade
- Marketing plan
- Marketing plan case study: opening a regular shipping line
- Business strategy. Business plan
- Cybersecurity on ships
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS, SHIP FINANCING AND RISK MANAGEMENT
- Investment Analysis
- Ship financing
- Tonnage tax and Tax lease
- Case of study: Ship financing
- Case of study: Investment Analysis
- Company and vessel valuation
- Risk Management
BUSINESS ETHICS
- Business ethics
- Corporate social responsibility and probono
- Compliance
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Everything you need to know
Comillas ICADE.
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Its origins date back to 1956 when business management courses began to be taught at the Jesuit residence in Calle Zorrilla. Today, it has been a reference for more than half a century in the areas of Law and Business Administration and Management, playing a pioneering role in the implementation of double degree programs in our country.
Related studies
Preguntas frecuentes
Because Comillas studies are in high demand and places are limited, the best candidates have to be selected through admission tests.
Each class has its own tutor, whose function is to integrate the student into the group and to pay attention to their academic performance. In addition, at Comillas the teaching system is distinguished, among other characteristics, by the personalised attention and the fluid and permanent relationship between teachers and students.
The teaching system at Comillas is especially oriented towards the relationship with the reality of companies, institutions, organisations and professional practice. The Internship and Employment Office is responsible for providing students with internships related to their studies in order to enrich their training. In the 2017-18 academic year, 6,296 student internships in companies were managed.
In addition to these internships managed by the Internship and Employment Office, all degree courses have a significant number of compulsory external internships as part of their curriculums.The Internship and Employment Office informs, guides and collaborates in the insertion in the labour market of recent graduates or in the projection of the professional career of Comillas graduates, for which it has an online tool that puts candidates in direct contact with 5,078 companies with which Comillas maintains a relationship. During the 2017-18 academic year, 1,838 job offers were managed. Of the total number of graduates from the 2018 graduating class, 93.22% are employed, either working or furthering their studies, within six months of completing their studies.
Contact
Dirección de postgrado de la Facultad de Derecho
C/ Mateo Inurria, 27
28036 Madrid
Tel.: (+34) 91 542 28 00