Maritime Disputes (Dry and Wet Shipping)

Maritime disputes include a wide variety of disputes, including dry shipping disputes such as disputes concerning charterparties, bills of lading, other contracts of carriage, and shipbuilding contracts, as well as wet shipping disputes such as those related to maritime accidents including ship collisions, groundings, oil spills, and ship arrests.

Our attorneys have served as representatives and judges in civil litigation and provisional injunction cases in such maritime disputes, and have also represented clients in maritime arbitration before the Japan Shipping Exchange (TOMAC arbitration). We also have experience in cases involving claims for large amounts of damages related to shipwrecking of a large container ship and in limitation of liability proceedings under the Act on Limitation of Shipowner Liability and the Act on Liability for Oil Pollution Damage. Our practice group is therefore composed of attorneys with diverse backgrounds and is dedicated to resolving all types of maritime disputes.

A&S is the first Japanese law firm to launch an independent foreign law joint venture not merged with a foreign law firm, and is one of the pioneering law firms in Japan to have expanded our international resources, including our network of foreign law firms. We have offices in London, the center of maritime law, New York, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as connections with law firms in Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and many other countries. By taking advantage of our strengths and network as an international law firm, we are able to efficiently handle international maritime disputes, from initial response to settlement negotiations and resolution through legal proceedings, in cooperation with maritime attorneys in other countries as necessary.

Related Publications

“Case law: Significance of Demurrage in Voyage Charter Contracts and Claims for Damages — K Line Pte Ltd v Priminds Shipping (HK) Co Ltd (The “Eternal Bliss”)[2021] EWCA Civ 1712,” Journal of the Maritime Law Institute (2022)
“Case law: Whether a shipowner can claim against a charterer for damage to cargo caused by the charterer's failure to discharge the cargo within the laytime period in excess of the agreed demurrage — K Line Pte Ltd v Priminds Shipping (HK) Co Ltd (The “Eternal Bliss”)[2020] EWHC 2373 (Comm),” Journal of the Maritime Law Institute (2021)
“Trends in Overseas Dispute Resolution (12) Maritime Disputes in the United Kingdom,” JCA Journal (2021)