Welcome back to our new series of ‘back to basics’ blogs in which we will provide blogs focused on common legal issues. This blog post looks at letters of indemnity, a sometimes unreliable but commonplace feature of the shipping industry. When might an LOI be required: Letters of indemnity act as an unofficial form of … Continue Reading
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 have transported military material to Libya, are now subject to an asset freeze under the … Continue Reading
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 of the earlier implementation dates have been extended. Most substantive changes were made in response to feedback … Continue Reading
Companies reliant upon the use of rail services and commercial harbor craft at California’s ports should be interested in the State’s: Increasing focus on utilizing zero emission technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from port-related operations; and Provision of $6.6 million in available grants to “fund the design, integration, and demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell systems … Continue Reading
Recently, Lloyd’s Maritime Law Newsletter reported on a recent arbitration award in which Reed Smith acted, regarding the requirements for notice under the 1996 Inter-Club Agreement (ICA), as amended in 2011. The decision concerned a notice that, on the face of it, bore no resemblance to a usual ICA notice as it: a) was given … Continue Reading
Summary The claimant was named as shipper on a bill of lading for a consignment of cargo on the MV Nortrader, despite not being a party to the contract of carriage. The defendant, the owner of the vessel, suffered losses after a cargo explosion occurred on board the vessel shortly after the cargo had been … Continue Reading
In an alert last year, we looked at payment obligations under English law and how payment instruments commonly referred to as ‘guarantees’ may be misleading. This is despite their being crucial components to security in a commercial context. The recent decision of the English Commercial court, Shanghai Shipyard Co Ltd. v. Reignwood International Investment (Group) Company [2020] EWHC … Continue Reading
