Marine
Shipping law is the origin of our practice and we have more than 40 years’ experience in shipping disputes, many of which appear in the official English Law Reports. The case of “La Pintada” remains to date the test case concerning the legal liability for compound interest in a maritime dispute.
We provide specialist advice to shipowners, charterers, P&I Clubs, trading houses, marine insurers and brokers, and freight forwarders. The depth of experience in our team means that we can advise on the majority of marine or trade related concerns, from a straightforward soft commodity arbitration to a multi-party international litigation arising out of breaches of financial instruments secured to shipbuilding contracts.
Recent matters:
- Acting for a Ras Al Khaimah domiciled shipowner against a global specialty insurer and reinsurer in a claim in the English Commercial Court in a USD $4million claim in respect of an indemnity pursuant to a contract of marine insurance;
- Acting for an Indian shipping company successfully challenging a LMAA arbitration award under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996;
- Acting for a Singaporean ship management company in a LMAA Arbitration concerning alleged unpaid P&I Club calls and interest exceeding USD $2.6million and a counterclaim seeking in excess of US $1 million pleading breaches of Bermudan regulatory law, insolvency law, Club Rules and fiduciary duties.
We are members of the London Maritime Arbitration Association (LMAA), Indian Maritime Association (IMA) and the Commodities Arbitration Club.
Commodities
We act for international trading houses in GAFTA arbitrations and ancillary proceedings in the English High Courts including cases that have become legal authorities in commodities law.
Recent matters:
- Acting for a large Iranian agriculture group in a USD $4 million GAFTA Arbitration against a global commodities company relating to the sale and purchase of Brazilian yellow maize
- Advising a Netherlands based trading house in its intended GAFTA arbitration claim for USD $750,000 against a Chinese company for breach of a sale and purchase contract.
- Acting for a Bangladesh based client in relation to two arbitrations against a major Thailand based rice exporter for wrongful termination of two agreements consequent upon an allegation that acceptable letters of credit had not been opened.
- Representing a major Indian private sector company involved in diversified businesses including hotels, consumer goods, and commodities in respect of its successful London seated arbitration claim for approximately US $10 million against a Dubai company.
- Acted for PEC Limited (an Indian government company) to successfully set aside an arbitration award on the basis that, as a matter of Indian law relating to the authority of officials of state-owned companies, no contract (and arbitration agreement) had been lawfully concluded.
