One of the difficulties confronting countries that have ratified international conventions pertains to putting up the necessary legislation to carry out the obligations as a Member State. Generally, international conventions do not have the force of law and therefore require a national law to be enacted to give effect to the treaty provisions at the domestic level.

This proves to be a challenge to countries that follow the dualist system of international law not only because of the lengthy and tedious legislative process which is characteristic in many jurisdictions, but also due to the dearth of maritime experts who are proficient in legislative drafting.