The outbreak of a novel coronavirus, or the “Wuhan” virus after the name of the Chinese city in which the first cases were identified, is dominating headlines all over the world. The new virus is a member of the coronavirus family and, like other coronaviruses, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), it has originated from animals. The virus causes pneumonia and symptoms include coughs, high fever and breathing difficulties. Despite initial assumptions that the virus could only get transmitted through food, human to ...

It may be frustrating where proceedings are commenced but not followed-through in a reasonable time-frame. English law articulates three requirements before a claim may be struck out and this judgment clarifies that all three must be satisfied. The Facts A shipping line carried a shipment of bananas in 28 containers from Ecuador and Honduras to Albania. On arrival the bananas were found to be damaged and the consignee issued proceedings in England against the line based on delay and an alleged failure to maintain correct temperatures. Four years and seven ...

The shipping industry needs to be prepared for potential restrictions in order to prevent the further spread of the ‘Wuhan’ coronavirus, advises a leading maritime law firm. Preparation for potential escalation is needed advises Beth Bradley, a Partner with Hill Dickinson, who says that shipping should be prepared to face the same issues that arose in previous severe disease outbreaks, such as with other coronaviruses or Ebola, such as infection of crew members, quarantine measures, closure of ports, and possible repercussions on charterparty obligations. “While this outbreak is not currently ...

An Introduction to Sanctions Against North Korea Almost no other country is as heavily sanctioned by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations as North Korea. These sanctions aim to stop the North Korean government’s proliferation of nuclear weapons by freezing the assets of involved individuals, restricting fishing rights and rights to cooperate internationally with the scientific and technical community, capping imports of natural oil and refined petroleum products, banning imports and/or exports of arms, military equipment, vehicles, luxury goods, coal, natural gas, minerals, seafood, agricultural products, ...

The Ince Group plc (AIM:INCE), the international legal and professional services company, has today announced that a team from London’s specialist shipping law firm Bentleys, Stokes and Lowless will join Ince’s shipping team in London. The addition of Partners and Staff from Bentleys, Stokes and Lowless to Ince’s shipping team will further strengthen Ince’s vast experience and capabilities in the shipping industry. It will provide greater capacity and market share for Ince’s already market-leading maritime law offer, providing current and future clients with the highest level of service and expertise. ...

In 2019 EMAC proved its commitment to providing a trusted standard in maritime arbitration and mediation through its intensive schedule of meetings and events. At these activities the Centre has heard from many who deal with maritime contracts, noting that there are many detailed terms which are often the cause of delay in dispute management. At the first Breakfast with EMAC on 21 January 2020, the format of ‘Breakfast with EMAC’ took the discussions about the common mistakes in maritime contracts, with speakers, David Galea, Partner at Ince Dubai and ...

In recent years the shipping industry has faced a significant number of bunker quality claims, most notably arising out of the so-called “Houston problem”, where there were numerous complaints that contaminated fuel had caused engine problems, including sludge blocking fuel filters and the sticking and seizure of fuel injection components. In the most serious cases, there were reports of vessel blackouts and groundings. The global impact of shipping problems was also evident; whilst complaints regarding the “Houston problem” were originally concentrated around the US Gulf region, complaints regarding off-specification fuel ...

The English Commercial Court has provided a ruling in Alianca Navegacao e Logistica Ltda v Ameropa SA (The Santa Isabella) [2019] EWHC 3152 (Comm) which provides useful guidance on: 1) the legal test for a usual and customary route; and 2) owners’ obligation to ventilate and care for cargo. The case may be relevant to members involved in the bulk cargo trade and set out below is a summary of the key facts and reasonings of the judgment. Facts Alianca, the disponent owner of the bulk carrier Santa Isabella, chartered ...

As of 29 December 2019, Singapore will be implementing the 1996 Protocol (as amended in 2012) to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims of 1976 (“LLMC 1976”), pursuant to the partial commencement of the Merchant Shipping (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2019. The LLMC 1976 allows shipowners and others, including insurers, to limit their liability for particular maritime claims by constituting a limitation fund. The size of the fund depends on the type of claim and the tonnage of the ship. The implementation of the 1996 Protocol does not ...

National law firm Seward & Kissel LLP announced today the promotion of Kevin Neubauer to partner and Brian Maloney to counsel. The promotions are effective January 1, 2020. “We are thrilled to make these well-deserved promotions. Kevin brings our clients a tremendous wealth of knowledge in fund formation and other issues of concern to private funds and pooled investment vehicles,” said Seward & Kissel Managing Partner Jim Cofer. “Brian has demonstrated his litigation talents across a range of subjects and types of engagements, from banking and shipping disputes to securities ...

International maritime law firm Hill Dickinson kicked off the 2019 Christmas season with an evening of Carols by Candlelight at the beautiful St Botolph’s Church on Bishopsgate in London. The live music featured the Côr Dinas Welsh Choir and guests were able to either join in the singing or simply appreciate the music. The evening raised £2,500 for Hill Dickinson’s London office charity, Magic Breakfast, which was nominated and voted for by the firm’s London based colleagues as part of a comprehensive corporate responsibility programme covering all five UK office ...

Ince Dubai today announces the hiring of two partners and one senior lawyer as it strengthens and expands its service offering and collaborative work with other international offices. Rabih Tabbara joins the firm as a Partner in December and Alastair Holland will join as a Partner in January from Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle and Wesley Wood as a Senior Shipping Associate joined last month. Rabih is a commercial disputes lawyer who has been in the region for over 10 years and has significant experience in international arbitration, frequently advising ...

Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised Ridgebury Tankers (“Ridgebury”) and Tufton Oceanic (“Tufton”) on the acquisition of two Suezmax tankers in a 50%-50% joint venture with Euronav NV (“Euronav”) who also provided secured debt to the joint venture companies for the purposes of the acquisitions. The joint venture acquired two Suezmax tankers for a combined consideration of US$40.6m. Both vessels have been delivered into the joint ventures. Ridgebury is an award-winning, US-based shipping company with a fleet of high-quality crude and refined product tankers. Tufton Oceanic, a specialist fund manager ...

Bad weather, and the threat of it, is certainly topical. We briefly discussed this in our post of 7 June, it was highly newsworthy recently and it came up again in London Arbitration 21/19 [(2019) 1039 LMLN 1]. There, with about $321,000 at stake, the Tribunal discussed the distinction between actual and approaching bad weather, and considered the meaning of “attributable” in common exclusion wording. Terms Under a COA dated 31 July the vessel was to load at a Mississippi terminal, and laytime and demurrage would not count: “ … ...

Registering a vessel in the British Virgin Islands with O’Neal Webster is easy as 1, 2, 3…set sail! With an admiralty practice that spans over 25 years, we can have you swiftly sailing the high seas with a recognized certificate of registration from the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (VISR). The VISR is a member of the Red Ensign Group of British Registries, where the British Virgin Islands is listed as a category 1 country authorized to register ships of unlimited tonnage, size, and type. As a member of the Red ...