The recent case of Bunge S.A. v. Pan Ocean Co., Ltd. [2025] EWHC 193 (the “Sagar Ratan”) sheds helpful light on the interpretation of the BIMCO Infectious or Contagious Diseases Clause for Time Charter Parties 2015 (“BIMCO Clause”) and in particular, the definition of an “Affected Area”.Continue Reading “SAGAR RATAN”: Useful guidance on the BIMCO Infectious Diseases Clause
International shipping has the potential to undergo an evolution with developments in autonomy—these developments present opportunities to both increase safety and reduce risk to vessel operations. Zulu Associates, a Belgian company which describes itself as an innovator in marine logistics and focusses on smaller vessels, expects to put small autonomous container ships into the English Channel or Southern North Sea by 2026. In an interview with TradeWinds, the CEO of Zulu Associates, Antoon Van Coillie, indicated that shipping insurance markets are cognizant of autonomous systems and ships. He asserted that financing would not be an unsurmountable barrier, since financial institutions are especially interested in vessel sustainability.
In 2021, the global autonomous ships market had a revenue share of over 89 million USD, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.81% through 20311.Continue Reading Big waves: global autonomous ships market on the rise
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 by seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The summit was hosted by UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, and UK Maritime Minister, Kelly Tolhurst.
The result of the summit was a commitment from the attendee governments to agree and introduce international measures to improve repatriation of seafarers and crew changes, during the global pandemic.
Continue Reading Protection for Seafarers? International Summit on Crew Changes
The Maritime Authorities of the Tokyo and Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control have launched a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Safety of Navigation. The CIC will commence on 1 September 2017 and run for three months until 30 November 2017.
The aim of the CIC is to check:
In January of this year the findings of “Project MARTHA”, a three year study into the causes and effects of crew fatigue, were released – along with proposals as to how best to mitigate against the risks posed by crew fatigue. The study was conducted by a number of eminent academic institutions with extensive input from the shipping community.
The report serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with fatigue to those serving on board vessels, as well as those who own and operate them.
Continue Reading Project MARTHA, crew fatigue and the implications for a vessel’s “seaworthiness”
In London Arbitration 11/17 it was held in respect of a charter on an amended NYPE 93 form, incorporating the BIMCO Piracy clause and the Conwartime clause, that: