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Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering
Keating Chambers’ construction and heavy engineering practice often involves instruction in ‘marine-related’ disputes, for example on docks and ferry terminals, including dredging and other maintenance of port facilities.
However, there is also a significant amount of marine work which is properly characterised as shipbuilding. As many as 20 members of Chambers, both juniors and silks, have undertaken different types of shipbuilding case.
The instructions may be to advise on potential disputes and their resolution, but includes arbitration under the major arbitral regimes such as LMAA and LCIA and, where necessary, litigation in the courts.
A fair proportion of these, unsurprisingly, are oil and gas industry disputes, involving FPSOs (floating production storage and offloading units) and other production vessels, as well as structures such as platforms and drilling rigs.
Examples include:
- Acting as counsel for Sembawang Shipyard of Singapore in a LMAA Rules arbitration of a dispute concerning the conversion of the bulk carrier Solitaire into an oil and gas pipe-laying vessel. This was the largest marine arbitration ever held in London
- Appearing as counsel in a US$ 100 million LCIA arbitration relating to construction of a FPSO vessel in Singapore for use in the Norwegian oil fields.
- Representing a Dutch contractor in £20 million litigation concerning the topsides of a FPSO vessel to be used in Nigeria.
- Obtaining an interlocutory injunction in the TCC (Technology and Construction Court) on behalf of the developers of a North Sea oil field in a US$ 90 million dispute over the contractor’s removal of a pipe-laying vessel.
- Beyond the extensive oil and gas caseload, Chambers handles a large number of general shipbuilding cases.
Examples include:
- Representing a ferry operator in a dispute with the shipbuilder over defects in a passenger vessel.
- Acting for a subcontractor in disputes relating to RORO (roll-on-roll-off) car ferries in Belfast.
- Acting in dispute over completion and handover of ships under construction in shipyards of People’s Republic of China.
Representation in a dispute involving installation, commissioning and post delivery of two main propulsion thrusters fitted to a cable repair vessel.
As well as advice and advocacy, more senior members of Chambers are often appointed to hear and resolve shipbuilding disputes, as mediators and members of arbitral tribunals.
Recent mediation appointments have included disputes over defects in ships propellers being manufactured in the Far East, the construction of six oil rigs for positioning off the coast of Brazil, defects in a custom built high-tech seagoing private vessel and the construction of drilling platforms in the Far East for the North Sea.
In arbitration, recent appointments have concerned disputes over alleged design defects in tugboat engines for vessels in the US, construction of a number of RORO passenger ferries for North Sea routes, of a gas rig in Australia and two high specification oil drilling vessels.
Shipbuilding and other types of marine engineering call for high levels of expertise on the part of professional advisers. Keating Chambers has a wealth of experience at senior and junior levels of advising and representing parties in the resolution of disputes.
Further Information
For further information on how our members can assist you, please contact the Director of Clerking,
Paul Cooklin or Senior Clerk,
Nick Child in the first instance on +44(0)20 7544 2600. The teams of Clerks will be pleased to advise you on the member of Keating Chambers appropriate to your requirements.