The Institute of Maritime Law, Shanghai Maritime University, established in 2000.In December 2007, it identified as Shanghai humanities and social sciences key research base. The character is to study the shipping laws, policies and so on. It is composed of maritime law research section, international shipping policy and management act research section, private international marine law research section. Research workers in the institute are mainly engaged in applied research. Basing themselves upon international shipping and by studying international conventions and cases of the maritime affairs, they make great efforts to settle theoretical and practical problems in order to establish Chinese maritime law system and to deal with maritime affairs in China. The main research tasks of the Institute of Maritime Law include: object of study of maritime law; drawing special provisions of maritime law, search of safety of maritime affairs, research of sea law, research of marine insurance law, economic liability and legal questions of international multi-modal transportation.