2026 Maritime Digest of Arbitration Awards and Court Rulings

Current / English Maritime Cases / Featured

London Arbitration 4/26

NYPE – TIME CHARTER – SPEED AND CONSUMPTION – HULL FOULING

The vessel was chartered for one time charter trip from Nouadhibou, Mauritania to Taranto, Italy on an amended NYPE 1946 form. A dispute arose regarding the balance of hire.
The owners claimed US$13,190.34 in outstanding hire, a FuelEU Maritime penalty of €12,710.10, and the transfer of 475.04 EU Emission Allowances (EUAs) pursuant to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The charterers denied liability and counterclaimed US$16,779.22, alleging that the vessel had been delivered with hull fouling, which caused underperformance and excess consumption on the voyage.

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Current / English Maritime Cases

London Arbitration 8/26

VOYAGE CHARTER – GENCON 1994 – SAFE PORT – DETENTION – WAR RISKS – VOYWAR 1993 – STRAIT OF KERCH This dispute arose under a voyage charterparty evidenced by a recap fixture incorporating the Gencon 1994 form, for the carriage of ammonium nitrate from an Azov Sea port to a Black Sea port. The central...

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Current

Trans Trade RK SA v Sebat Shipping and Trading Co (The “Sabat”) [2026] EWHC 950 (Comm) – King’s Bench Division, Commercial Court – 28 April 2026

VOYAGE CHARTER – DEMURRAGE – INVALID NOR – NOTICE OF READINESS – ERROR OF LAW This case concerned a voyage charterparty dated 9 April 2022 under which the vessel Sebat was chartered to carry a cargo of Ukrainian barley from Constanta, Romania, to Brake, Germany. The charterparty incorporated the Synacomex 2000 form, including clause 11,...

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Current / U.S. Maritime Cases

Evenstar Shipping, Inc., v Sokana Shipping & Trading, Ltd., (The “ST Nicholas”) – SMA No. 4524 – 1 May 2026

EXXONMOBILVOY 2005 – DEVIATION – INTERIM – DEMURRAGE – HOSES DISCONNECTED This arbitration arose from a voyage charter party dated 30 October 2024 under which Evenstar Shipping, Inc., as owner of the tanker ST NICHOLAS, chartered the vessel to Sokana Shipping & Trading, Ltd. for the carriage of clean petroleum products from the U.S. Gulf...

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Current / U.S. Maritime Cases

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha v XCoal Energy & Resources (The “Medi Nagoya”) – SMA No. 4519 – 27 February 2026

AMWELSH – DEMURRAGE – NON PARTICIPATION Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (“NYK”) sought demurrage of $54,928.39, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs from XCoal Energy & Resources (“XCoal”) under a voyage charter dated July 6, 2024, for the carriage of bulk coal from Baltimore, Maryland to China. The charter incorporated the Amwelsh Charter Party form and...

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Current / U.S. Maritime Cases

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha v XCoal Energy & Resources (The “Morphou”) – SMA No. 4518 – 27 February 2026

AMWELSH – DEMURRAGE – NON PARTICIPATION Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (“NYK”) sought recovery of demurrage of $36,374.61, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs from XCoal Energy & Resources (“XCoal”) under a voyage charter dated June 11, 2024, for the carriage of coal from Norfolk, Virginia to China. The charter incorporated the Amwelsh Charter Party form...

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English Maritime Cases

London Arbitration 5/26

NYPE – TIME CHARTER – SPEED AND CONSUMPTION – NOON REPORTS – ABOUT – NO EXTRAPOLATIONS This dispute arose under a trip time charter on an amended NYPE 1946 form between claimant owners and respondent charterers. The owners claimed US$160,407.16 allegedly due under their final hire statement, while the charterers denied liability and asserted a right of set-off based on alleged underperformance of the vessel. The recap incorporated key performance warranties. The vessel was described as capable of: “ABT 14.00 KNOTS (L) ON ABT 35.00 MT IFO/DAY + ABT 0.10 MT MDO/DAY” This performance was expressly qualified by defined environmental...

Current / English Maritime Cases

London Arbitration 3/26

NYPE – TIME CHARTER – SPEED AND CONSUMPTION – WEATHER – CURRENTS

The dispute arose under a time charter on an amended NYPE form, between respondent owners and claimant charterers. The charterers claimed US$150,558.18 in alleged overpaid hire arising from underperformance of the vessel. The owners denied liability and counterclaimed US$61,516.48.

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Current / English Maritime Cases

London Arbitration 15/25

SYNACOMEX 90 – VOYAGE CHARTER – DEMURRAGE – REJECTION OF CARGO HOLDS – DELAY IN REINSPECTION

This dispute concerned a voyage charter on an amended Synacomex 90 form for the carriage of approximately 30,000 mt of wheat from the Baltic to North Africa. It arose out of an owners’ claim for demurrage at the loading port following the rejection of the vessel’s cargo holds after notice of readiness had been tendered at anchorage.

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Current / English Maritime Cases / Featured

London Arbitration 2/26

VOYAGE CHARTER – DESPATCH – LAYTIME CALCULATION – RESTRICTED CRANE USE – NUMBER OF GANGS – NUMBER OF HOOKS

The subject vessel was chartered by the respondent owners to the claimant charterers for a voyage carrying a cargo of bagged rice from India to Bangladesh. A dispute arose concerning unpaid despatch earned by the charterers due to time saved on laytime.

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Current / English Maritime Cases

London Arbitration 1/26

TIME CHARTER – SPEED AND PERFORMANCE – HULL FOULING – GOOD WEATHER – THE DIVINEGATE

The dispute concerned a claim by the charterers for US$127,545.45 and a counterclaim by the owners for US$28,174.16, as reflected in the parties’ final hire statements. The central issue was whether, at delivery, the vessel was affected by underwater hull fouling amounting to a defect that reduced speed and entitled the charterers to an off-hire deduction under the charterparty.

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