November 25, 2019

When is a guarantee not a guarantee?

Sadly, we see many cases where clients enter into charters on the assumption that their counterparty risk is guaranteed only to find out later that the “guarantee” is effectively worthless. Earlier this year the English Courts provided valuable guidance on how to... Read more >

October 15, 2019

The importance of paying hire on time!

It seems that the days of tardy hire payments may be over, at least in some sectors where spot markets are booming and predicted to remain high. Tanker operators have for many years struggled to survive in a market where spot rates have long been below operational and... Read more >

August 24, 2018

Bad bunkers – has your ship been damaged and, if so, what can you do about it?

In recent months there have been dozens of reports of problems with fuel supplied to ships at various ports.   It is believed that over 100 vessels took contaminated fuel onboard in the US Gulf and Panama earlier this year with further similar rogue supplies at... Read more >

July 27, 2018

Court steps in to help claimants where an order for security for costs would be damaging to their ability to proceed

A Defendant can make an application for security for costs in a situation where they are concerned that a Claimant may not have the wherewithal to meet a costs order at the end of a trial. It can also be used tactically to try to stifle a claim by placing an onerous... Read more >