Shipping and Maritime
The shipping and maritime industry is the lifeline of global trade, serving as the primary mode of transportation for majority of the world’s cargo movement. The massive operations involve multiple stakeholders responsible for import and export of cargo, financing of trades, constructing, operating and chartering of vessels, port and stevedoring operations, as well as related insurance matters. Based in Singapore, a premier maritime hub, we are dedicated specialists in shipping and international trade law. Our practice delivers quality, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal solutions across both wet and dry shipping matters, as well as non-contentious matters.
In dry shipping, we excel in contentious disputes arising from sale and purchase agreements, cargo claims, charterparties, demurrage and despatch claims, bills of lading, letters of credit, securities and asset ownership (e.g., liens, charges, guarantees), letters of indemnity, offshore projects, shipbuilding and repair disputes. In wet shipping, we handle disputes related to ship collisions, salvage operations, pollution incidents, and maritime casualties. We have significant experience navigating complex scenarios involving vessel damage, cargo contamination, and other emergencies requiring prompt and precise legal intervention. On the non-contentious front, we are trusted advisors for drafting and reviewing transactional documents, structuring deals, and negotiating with counterparties to protect our clients’ commercial interests.
Our unrivalled understanding of the shipping industry, coupled with a practical and strategic approach, has earned us the trust of local and international clients across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. Our clientele includes shipowners, charterers, P&I clubs, marine insurers, freight forwarders, warehouse operators, traders, and financiers. We regularly collaborate with surveyors, forensic investigators, market pricing experts, and other industry professionals to deliver comprehensive and tailored solutions. The above allows us to deliver pragmatic, definitive, and commercially sound advice to our clients in navigating the challenges of an ever-evolving maritime industry.
Notable Briefs
The claim was commenced by a Labuan subsidiary of an American investment management group, where the dispute arises from alleged breaches of corporate guarantee relating to JVAs for financing arrangements and vessel construction / operation worth over USD 120 million.
The matter arose from an ore mining joint venture, where various injunctions and court actions were pursued in Santiago (Chile) as part of the dispute. The Singapore-seated arbitration proceedings were eventually concluded in our client’s favour.
The dispute relates to sale of steam coal from USA mines worth nearly USD 70 million, which was supposed to have been delivered by a subsidiary of a New York listed group that is one of the leading energy companies in USA.
The dispute pertained to issues on quality and delay, which was to be resolved in a Singapore seated arbitration under the SIAC Rules. We successfully obtained a favourable settlement for the client.
The claim was brought against multiple respondents which are part of an Indian head-quartered conglomerate whose revenue for FY 2023 alone was USD 150 billion. The dispute relates to the sale, financing, and delivery of Canadian coking coal worth nearly USD 11 million.
We successfully defended against the claim in the SIAC arbitration, and further successfully resisted the claimant’s setting aside application in the High Court of Singapore (which was heard and dismissed by the learned Justice S Mohan).
We represented the client in commercial negotiations with the buyer who specialises in recycling of ships for scrap metal, and successfully recovered almost USD 1.1 million without having to commence proceedings.
We successfully defended against the claimant’s demurrage claim and further succeeded in proving our client’s counterclaim for despatch.
The services include advice and drafting of documents / correspondence for charterparty disputes, demurrage and despatch claims, issues with cargo quality and specifications, negotiations with suppliers and buyers, and financing / credit facility issues.
