Christopher Kidd

Acted for an oil trading company, handling demurrage claims and settlements.

Defended charterers in arbitration, challenging claims after a shipowner refused to load a coal cargo.

Advised a Korean trading company on issues arising from commodities contracts and related charterparties.

Advised a major Korean shipowner in arbitration related to a dispute over the sale of a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC).

Advised a leading hotel group on a potential hotel management agreement for river and seagoing cruise vessels.

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. [1988] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 330

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. [1990] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 11

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. [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 253

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. [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep. 418

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. [1994] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 16

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. LMLN 413 (1995)

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. [1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 579

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. [2001] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 1

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. [2004] 1 Lloyd's Rep. 712

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. [2020] Lloyd's Rep. Plus 19