News - Luke Zadkovich

We had a remarkable time at our New York client event last week!

We’re pleased to announce that our Luke Zadkovich has been designated by the New York City Bar Association to attend the UNCITRAL: United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Working Group of the Judicial Sale of Ships in New York City, starting Monday.

The inter-club agreement is designed to prevent litigation. It normally does so, so any reporting providing further clarity is welcome.

The Australian federal court, in an exceptional case, emphasised its reach over arbitration tribunals in a recent judgment.

The “Alpha Harmony” was a lesson in paying close attention to the Laycan provisions in voyage charterparties. The Vessel tendered NOR on a Sunday morning. Charterers under both a Head Charter and a Sub-Charter had a right to cancel later on the Sunday (12:00 under the sub-charter; 23:59 under the head charter). Charterers under each Charterparty purported to cancel.

It has been widely reported that LNG receivers in China have recently declared force majeure on LNG contracts due to disruptions caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which has now been given the official name COVID-19 (“novel coronavirus”). This was done after force majeure certificates were issued from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (“CCPIT”), with the approval of China’s Ministry of Commerce.