Maritime and international trade

Kennedys' maritime and international trade team specialises in multi-jurisdictional business including, shipping and intermodal work, commodities, financing and energy/offshore.

Our Singapore team, one of four in the Asia Pacific region, provides assistance at each stage of the international business process from drafting contracts or policies, through to helping to resolve disputes. Clients include vessel and intermodal operators, freight forwarders, managers, protection and indemnity insurance (P&I) clubs, producers, commodity traders, insurers, brokers and agents.

We are active in most kinds of international commercial arbitration, particularly in Singapore, Hong Kong and London, including: 

• LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, SIAC, HKIAC, UNCITRAL
• LME, LMAA, GAFTA

Shipping

Our team is experienced in advising clients as disputes arise and, where necessary, preparing cases for arbitration and handling cases before the Commercial and Admiralty Courts, including:

• Disputes involving charterparties, bills of lading, contracts of affreightment, LOIs, guarantees and other chartering/trade documents
• Advising on the Hague Rules, Hague-Visby Rules, Hamburg Rules, CMR and Carriage of Goods By Sea Act 1992
• Drafting and interpreting international contracts of carriage
• Policy drafting and advice - marine cargo, hull and machinery (H&M), P&I, MII, IOI, political risk, credit risk, DSU, CGL
• Advising on cargo claims (including air cargo) and recoveries
• Updating existing insurance wordings to account for developments in the law and drafting new insurance products
• Advising on MOA disputes and on the purchase of second hand and new vessels
• Arrest of vessels and assets
• Collisions, groundings and ship damage
• Salvage
• General average
• Underperformance claims

International trade and commodities

Whilst our team’s foundation lies in dispute resolution, our commitment to servicing our clients' needs means that we have also gained considerable experience in non-contentious commodities based advice, including:

• Advising on sale and purchase contracts for commodities including coal, minerals, metals, oil (crude and fuel), chemicals and agri-commodities, and disputes arising from these
• Drafting and advising on standard terms and conditions of sale and related carriage terms
• Trade finance and letters of credit
• Trade and credit risk

Our practice also covers all associated insurances, such as H&M, P&I, defence (FD&D), MII, property, DSU, cargo and specie, trade and credit risk, political risk, and financial risk.