Qualifications & Experience

Recent Case Work

• Demurrage Claims: Acted for an oil trading company, handling demurrage claims and settlements.
• Coal Cargo Arbitration: Defended charterers in arbitration, challenging claims after a shipowner refused to load a coal cargo.
• Commodities Contracts & Charterparties: Advised a Korean trading company on issues arising from commodities contracts and related charterparties.
• Naval Vessel Construction: Advised a Spanish state-owned shipyard on contract issues for the construction of two naval vessels.
• Superyacht Build Dispute: Represented an owner in High Court proceedings related to build quality disputes and the rejection of a superyacht.
• Shipyard Refit Dispute: Advised a state-owned shipyard on a vessel refit dispute.
• Diamond Mining Vessel Construction: Provided legal counsel to a leading mining company on a contract for the construction of a specialist diamond mining vessel.
• Deepwater Oil Drilling Arbitration: Represented a New York Stock Exchange-listed company in a contentious arbitration concerning the construction of a drilling unit designed for deepwater oil extraction.
• Superyacht Coating Dispute: Advised a leading European yard on a dispute arising from the coating of a superyacht.
• VLCC Sale & Purchase Arbitration: Advised a major Korean shipowner in arbitration related to a dispute over the sale of a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC).
• Semi-Submersible Rig Delivery Delay: Acted for a major Korean shipyard in arbitration related to liquidated damages resulting from the delay in delivery of two semi-submersible drilling rigs.
• Construction Defects Arbitration: Represented a major Korean shipyard in arbitration concerning claims for construction defects and the near-total loss of the world’s largest production and drilling quarters.
• Commercial Court – Gas Field Construction: Acted for a European fabrication yard in Commercial Court proceedings over the construction of topside modules for the Cygnus gas field in the North Sea.
• Cygnus Gas Field Construction: Advised a European fabrication yard in a dispute over the construction of topside modules for the Cygnus gas field in the North Sea.
• Offshore Windfarm Construction Charter: Represented a leading utility and energy company in the negotiation of a long-term charter for an Accommodation Support Vessel (ASV) to be used in the construction of two North Sea windfarms.
• Offshore Wind Turbine Jacket Disputes: Advised on disputes arising from the construction of jackets for offshore wind turbines.
• Oil Removal from Offshore FSO: Counseled on a project to remove oil from a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) unit moored offshore Yemen, including advising on contracts for oil removal, vessel management, and replacement.
• Asian Cruise Liner Acquisition: Advised on shipbuilding aspects during the due diligence process for a pension fund's acquisition of a publicly-listed Asian cruise liner.
• Ship Scrapping Covenant: Secured an injunction for a vessel owner to enforce a covenant requiring the purchasers of the vessel to sell it for scrap.
• Newbuilding Contract Renegotiation: Advised publicly-listed shipowners on the cancellation and renegotiation of newbuilding contracts with Chinese and Croatian yards.
• LNG Carrier New Build Contracts: Provided advice to a ship services company on contracts for the construction of two LNG carriers.
• Cruise Vessel Management Agreements: Advised a leading hotel group on a potential hotel management agreement for river and seagoing cruise vessels.

Reported Cases

• Karin Vatis [1988] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 330: Charter-party (Voyage) - Freight - Vessel carried additional cargo - Charterers paid 95 per cent. of freight - Vessel lost on voyage - Whether owners entitled to last 5 per cent. of freight and accrued load port demurrage - Whether owners entitled to additional freight for additional cargo.
• Piper Alpha Public Enquiry [1989]: Public enquiry into explosion and loss of North Sea oil platform.
• Jordan Nicolov [1990] 2 Lloyd’s Rep. 11: Arbitration – Award – Remission – Technical misconduct – Arbitrators found against charterers on title to sue and that insurers’ claims time barred – Arbitrators declined to entertain claim made by insurers – Whether technical misconduct – Whether award should be remitted.
• Varna [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 253: Admiralty practice - Arrest of vessel - Carriage by sea - Plaintiffs claimed damages for breach of contract or conversion - Plaintiffs arrested sister ship - Affidavit failed to disclose existing proceedings in Bulgaria - Whether warrant of arrest should be set aside - R.S.C., O. 75, r. 5.
• E.E. Caledonia Ltd) v. Orbit Valve Co. Europe [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 418: Contract - Construction - Indemnity clause - Contract to overhaul gas valves on Piper Alpha platform - Disastrous fire on platform - Service engineer died - Whether plaintiffs’ right to indemnity included consequences of plaintiffs’ negligence - Whether indemnity covered breach of statutory duty - Whether engineer’s death caused by performance of contract.
• Mcfarlane v. E.E. Caledonia Ltd [1994] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 16: Negligence - Personal injury - Duty of care - Defendants operators of Piper Alpha - Fire broke out on rig - Plaintiff suffered psychiatric injury - Whether defendants owed plaintiff a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing him injury.
• Lady Muriel LMLN 413 (1995): Charterparty containing London arbitration clause - Whether charterers entitled to interim protection order from Hong Kong court requiring owners to permit charterers to inspect vessel to determine seaworthiness
• Niobe [1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 579: Sale of ship - Norwegian Saleform - Construction of cl. 11 - Sellers sold vessel to buyers - Dispute as to condition of vessel on delivery - Whether sellers under obligation to notify classification society prior to delivery of matters affecting class which came to their knowledge as from contract date, last survey date or some other date.
• Star Sea [2001] 1 Lloyd’s Rep. 1: Marine insurance: time policy: vessel constructive total loss by fire. Unseaworthiness (section 39(5) of the Marine Insurance act (‘MIA’) 1906)- whether the vessel sent to sea in an unseaworthy condition with the privity of the assured – Whether the duty of utmost good faith continues after the contract has been made- Whether the assured was in breach of the duty under section 17 of the MIA 1906.
• Kriti Akti [2004] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 712: Charter-party (Time) - Duration - Vessel chartered for “11 months, 15 days more or less in charterers’ option” - Clause 18 providing that should vessel be upon a voyage “at the expiry of the period of this charter” charterers should have the use of the vessel for completion of the round voyage - Clause 50 providing that any time off-hire shall count “as part of the charter period” and giving charterers option to use time off-hire as extension to “charter period” - Charterers exercising cl. 50 option to use time off-hire as extension to “charter period” - Whether “the period of this charter” in cl. 18 included 11-month period plus 15 days in charterers’ option plus off-hire extension.
• CSK Glory [2020] Lloyd's Rep. Plus 19: Sale of ship – Buyer contracting to scrap vessel and not to use her for trading – Buyer trading vessel in breach of agreement – Whether seller entitled to injunction – Whether damages adequate remedy – Whether seller entitled to “negotiating damages” – Whether buyer entitled to declaration that seller limited to nominal damages.

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