Shipping

We deal with all types of contentious and non-contentious maritime law issues. We advise on and draft charter parties, riders and standard shipping terms.  We have acted in multiple disputes in relation to non-payment of freight, cargo liens by shipowners, demurrage, damages for detention, speed and consumption claims, deviations, issue of seaworthiness, misdelivery and other claims under bills of lading. 

Our lawyers represent clients in LMAA, ad hoc and other maritime arbitration proceedings. We also have substantial experience dealing with these matters in the High Court in London. We have arrested vessels in various jurisdictions in support of our clients’ maritime claims, including in Georgia, Bulgaria, Malta, Netherlands and Turkey. We have also arrested cargoes in storage facilities in multiple jurisdictions.

Examples of our work include:

• LMAA arbitration concerning damages for detention claimed as a result of a vessel’s detention by a state security service, and involving issues of cargo liens and reasonableness of the proposed mitigation measures.
• Ad hoc arbitration concerning payment of freight for several vessels totalling nearly US$8 million.
• SCC arbitration worth US$5 million concerning payment of hire on the one hand, and damages for deviation, reduced speed / increased consumption, seaworthiness on the other hand, as well as the steps required to mitigate damages after allegedly unlawful termination of the charter.
• Ad hoc arbitration concerning the shipowners’ refusal to proceed to the Ukrainian port of Odesa due to insurance problems. The charterers argued that (1) the shipowners’ failure to procure insurance did not relieve them of their obligation to honor the charter, and (2) the shipowners were aware of the circumstances and risks when the charter was signed. The charterers incurred damages by the breach of their obligations to third parties and storage costs.