2020 has presented a number of challenges to the shipping industry, certainly none more so than the global pandemic which has significantly disrupted international trade and profoundly affected crew welfare. The closure of national borders and the curtailment of commercial
Ship Law Log
Comment and analysis by Reed Smith lawyers on the latest developments in the shipping industry
Ship Law Log, published by Reed Smith LLP, focuses on legal issues related to maritime and shipping law. The blog covers topics such as ship finance, including sale-and-leaseback arrangements and lending structures, regulatory developments affecting port fees and tariffs, ownership and control implications for vessels, charterparty disputes and interpretations, compliance with international trade measures, and operational risks in shipping. It also addresses the impact of geopolitical actions on maritime commerce, legal challenges in ship repossession, and the allocation of costs and liabilities in shipping contracts. The blog provides analysis relevant to shipowners, charterers, financiers, and legal practitioners involved in maritime transport and shipping finance.
Latest from Ship Law Log - Page 9
Force majeure and frustration
By Lisa Meller & Sophie Davis
Welcome to our new series of ‘back to basics’ blogs in which we will provide blogs focused on common legal issues. This blog post will address force majeure and frustration, two concepts which charterers have regularly relied on since the…
A new world of ship leasing and sale and leaseback transactions
By Lianjun Li & Jaye Bhogal
Traditionally, the most common way of financing ships has been through debt and equity financing. However, over the past decade, ship leasing has become a very significant competitor and alternative for the provision of finance for the acquisition of ships. …
EU takes action over violations of the UN’s Arms Embargo on Libya
On Monday, 21 September, the EU designated three companies involved in the transportation of goods for violating the UN arms embargo in place for Libya: Sigma Airlines, Avrasya Shipping and Med Wave Shipping. The three entities, who are alleged to…
More transparency needed in shipping industry to tackle the impact of COVID-19
Early results from our 2020 shipping survey – Navigating a post-COVID world indicate that industry participants believe more transparency is needed to tackle the impact and challenges caused by the pandemic.
66% of respondents so far indicate that transparency and…
Damages in addition to demurrage – long standing debate settled in owners’ favour
By Mike Adamson & Nick Austin
Public today: an important judgment handed down by the English High Court this morning has re-opened the door to recovering damages in addition to demurrage for losses caused by exceeding laytime in cargo operations.
In today’s 43 page judgment in…
Navigating a post-COVID world: Take part in our survey
By Rob Wilkins & Andrew Taylor
How will the shipping industry respond to the impact of COVID-19?
We are conducting a short anonymous survey to discover what impact participants consider COVID-19 will have on the shipping industry. Through collecting responses from companies representing the industry across…
Recent Trends in U.S. Vessel Arrest Cases
As the global economic recession grows, so does the number of vessel arrests by maritime creditors. We highlight below four trends observed in the vessel arrest cases that are multiplying in the U.S. Some of these trends are tied to…
Protection for Seafarers? International Summit on Crew Changes
By Will Hollins
On 9 July, governmental representatives of the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Indonesia, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and USA held a virtual summit, alongside business leaders across the world, to discuss the issues faced…
Upcoming public hearing scheduled for late August – California proposes revisions to regulation of air emissions from “Ships at Berth.”
The California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) has again proposed revisions to the State’s existing “Ocean-Going Vessels At-Berth Regulation” of air emissions from ships docked in California. As revised, further reductions in air emissions will be required, but some…