In a recent case before the English Admiralty Court, we successfully defended a shipowner’s claims for contributions in General Average. On the night of 17/18 May 2011 the large container vessel “CMA CGM LIBRA” departed from the Chinese port of Xiamen bound for Hong Kong and Europe laden with 8,950 TEU of containerised cargo with a value in excess of US$500 million. She also had on board almost 8,000 tons of bunkers. Shortly after dropping the pilot, the vessel’s Master sailed out of the recognised dredged channel marked by lit ...

Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised Crédit Agricole Italia (“Crédit Agricole”) on two financings for Marittima Emiliana S.p.A ., a company owned by the Amoretti family’s Armatori Group, for the construction of two 4,500 dwt chemical tankers at Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding, a Chinese shipyard specialising in small chemical construction. Construction will start in 1H 2019m, with delivery is scheduled for 2020. This transaction represents the Amoretti family’s first newbuild order in nearly ten years. The Armatori Group is a leading company in the international maritime transportation sector, most notably for ...

On 4 February 2019 the European Commission (EC) tabled a proposal concerning the amendment of Regulation (EU) 2015/757 on the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport (the “EU MRV Regulation”). The main objective of the proposal is to amend the EU MRV Regulation in order to take account of the new Global Data Collection System (“IMO DCS”) for fuel oil consumption of ships that was introduced by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in March 2018. The globally applicable IMO DCS system currently runs in parallel ...

Leading international maritime law practice Hill Dickinson is sailing confidently into the future with a series of important, high-level appointments. Joining Hill Dickinson are Master Mariner Kevin Austin, Korean market specialist Beth Bradley, and transactional lawyer Sung Hwan Choi. Announcing the appointments, Julian Clark, Hill Dickinson Global Head of Shipping, said: “As a full service, legal marine practice, Hill Dickinson is committed to providing the best team able to operate throughout the entire marine sector. These important appointments further strengthen our global services.” Experienced Master Mariner Kevin Austin, currently a ...

Ince & Co Hong Kong (“Ince”), part of the Ince Gordon Dadds LLP (“Ince Gordon Dadds”) network, is pleased to announce its growth plans in Asia that will strengthen the firm’s core practice areas of shipping, international trade, insurance, energy and infrastructure as well as power a rapid expansion of the business with new capabilities across Hong Kong and Mainland China. As a member of Ince Gordon Dadds’ international network of independently owned law firms, Ince is leveraging the network’s financial resources and proven track-record in Asia to seize opportunities ...

Comprehensive studies regarding the environmental effects of discharges from vessel’s open-loop scrubbers released during the last several weeks by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the major classification society Det Norske Veritas Germanischer LLoyd (DNVGL) appear likely to change the course of the current industry controversy over the International Maritime Organization (IMO) low sulfur fuel regulations coming into effect in January 2020 (IMO 2020). Under the IMO 2020 regulations, which require ship operators to use 0.5 percent low sulfur oil (LSFO) commencing next year, ship ...

Believe it or not, it’s still a little too early to see what impact the new regulation is having, although this is line with our expectations given the data protection regulators around Europe were inundated with reports of data breaches that still related to pre-GDPR enforcement. Only within the last few months, are we now starting to see some examples of organisations that are falling foul of post GDPR requirements, however despite this, what we do know is the shipping sector needs to be continually switched on to the requirements ...

Law firm Dentons Rodyk successfully represented its clients in a case that could have interesting implications for how Singapore may establish jurisdiction in transnational disputes The case saw the Singapore High Court reverse a lower court decision and exercise jurisdiction over non-Singaporean parties in a case concerning transnational fuel consumption fraud. A Norway and Singapore-based shipowner had brought a claim against a multinational engine manufacturer that had provided engines for vessels being constructed for the owner in China. The owner held that over the years it had unknowingly incurred fuel ...

By the declaration published in the Official Gazette on 26 October 2018, it has been announced that Turkey has opted to require the submission for approval of a Ship Recycling Plan before a ship may be recycled in Turkey’s authorized Ship Recycling Facilities under the International Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (“Convention”). As we have reported in a previous news alert, Turkey had already become a party to the Convention but until today had not made a choice as required under Article 16(6). The Convention ...

Every second, value is exchanged up and down the supply chain, be this goods, services, money or data. Each exchange is a transaction, which must be fast, precise and easily agreed upon by those participating. Blockchain technology, also known as “distributed ledger technology”, is a decentralised digital record of such transactions. However, unlike traditional trading systems where each participant has a separate ledger, each participant in a blockchain network holds a record of transactions. This is updated and validated in real time and creates a shared immutable system of record ...

The recently published Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act, 2018 (“MSA”) became law on 18 January 2019 and includes some salient and welcome maritime developments in the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”). Eligibility to Register Vessels In a response to customer demand, the MSA significantly expands the number of persons who are eligible to own a vessel registered in the BVI, reducing administrative requirements and associated costs. A citizen of the United States of America (“USA”) and over 50 other countries is now eligible to own a BVI-registered vessel directly in his or ...

The launch of the Netherlands Commercial Court (the “NCC”) has caused many to reach for their pens the last couple of weeks. And rightfully so, because as of 1 January 2019 the Dutch courts have proudly added the NCC as a new division to their judicial system. The NCC allows for proceedings to be conducted in the English language and therefore enables English speaking litigants to access the highly rewarded Dutch judicial system more easily. The NCC, however, is not the first court in the Netherlands that provides for proceedings ...

International conventions and local regulations combine to create a complex legal regime, which is often overlooked. The sale of a ship or rig to an intermediate buyer, which then sells the asset on to a shipbreaking facility, will not necessarily insulate the original owner from future liability or reputational damage. Against this background, owners and other parties involved in transboundary movements of marine assets for recycling may find this article helpful. What is the Basel Convention? The Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal ...

Poupak Anjomshoaa has joined the Baker Botts’ Litigation and International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Practices as a London based partner. Poupak has over twenty years’ experience in both disputes and transactional matters across the energy, infrastructure and construction sectors. “We continue to add first class talent to our London office, which remains at a very exciting stage as the firm carries out its growth plans, and adds another leading international disputes and arbitration focused lawyer to its exceptional base,” said Andrew M. Baker, Managing Partner of Baker Botts. Poupak practiced ...

Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised Armamento Setramar, a shipping company that is part of the Setramar Group, on the sale of the vessel “Pietro Benedetti”. The “Pietro Benedetti”, a multipurpose 9,800dwt unit primarily focused on carrying general and project cargoes, was sold to a Finnish company. WFW advised on the negotiation of related documentation and the establishment of an escrow acount for the release of the sale price. Setramar Group is a Ravenna-based port and shipping group operating in the port and inland logistics, shipping, trading, production activity, services, ...