Shipping Offshore Update December 2020
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When is the law applying to an arbitration agreement not the same as the law applying to the contract?
In Enka Insaat Ve Sanayi AS v OOO Insurance Company Chubb [2020] UKSC 38 the UK Supreme Court has (by a 3:2 majority) recently clarified that, in the absence of an express choice of law, the law governing the validity and scope of the arbitration agreement is that of the seat of the arbitration and not the law applicable to the contract.
Navigating floating LNG projects – hints and tips for owners
In this article, we explore some of the key issues facing vessel owners when bidding for and negotiating floating LNG projects, whether for FLNG units (floating liquefaction) or FSRUs (floating storage and regasification)
Imposing conditions to contractual consent – is it reasonable?
In the recent decision in Apache North Sea Ltd v INEOS FPS Ltd [2020] EWHC 2081 (Comm), the Commercial Court has provided guidance on the interpretation of consent provisions in a contract where such consent is not to be “unreasonably withheld”.
International enforcement of arbitral awards
The New York Convention allows for recognition and enforcement of international arbitral awards in most states. In this article, we outline the main steps of the process of enforcing international arbitral awards, adding our practical insight on the peculiarities of specific jurisdictions.
BIMCO: SHIPLEASE
September 2020 has seen the recent publication of the new “SHIPLEASE” indicative term sheet by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO). SHIPLEASE has been drafted to provide the first set of standard terms and conditions for sale and leaseback transactions of second-hand vessels.
“Fisktrans” – withdrawal of wreck removal order following consideration of proportionality
In a recent administrative appeal decision, the Norwegian Coastal Administration (the “NCA”) Head Office reversed the wreck removal order issued by the NCA Emergency Response Centre in respect of the “Fisktrans” which sank in Northern Norway in 2017. The decision confirms that the pollution authorities shall consider the proportionality of the measures ordered when exercising their administrative discretion.
Offshore floating wind turbines and deepwater fish farms – different frameworks for success
The regulatory framework that exists within the shipping and offshore industries is long established. Whilst the existing framework effectively extends to also encompass the offshore floating wind sector in Norway, the same cannot be said for deepwater fish farms.
Arbitrator bias and the duty of disclosure: Supreme Court adopts a pragmatic approach
When parties agree in a contract that any disputes arising from that contract will be referred to arbitration, they hope that any tribunal that will be appointed will be free of bias and approach the matter fairly. One of the long running debates, particularly in specialist fields where there has traditionally been a limited pool of arbitrators, is to what extent arbitrators need to disclose previous relationships with the parties to an arbitration or their lawyers.
The London Dumping Regime – taking a lead in developing a legal framework for ocean fertilisation activities
Contracting Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 (the London Convention) and the 1996 London Protocol have taken steps to address potential harm to the marine environment from the evaluation of new experimental technologies designed to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
“Full City” – 5 key takeaways from the limitation fund proceedings
In November 2020, the limitation fund established following the grounding of the “Full City” near Langesund, Norway, in 2009 was finally distributed. The limitation fund proceedings, which ran in parallel with the proceedings concerning the limitation fund established following the “Server” casualty in 2007, have helped clarify several procedural aspects of limitation funds.
Marine liquid hydrogen value chain – considerations
A complete liquid hydrogen value chain is currently in development on the west coast of Norway. What are the key issues affecting the development of such a large scale cooperation project?