Lloyd's Shipping & Trade Law

Slow steaming

The landmark ruling in Chimbusco Pan Nation Petro-Chemical Co Ltd v Owners and/or Demise Charterers of the Ship or Vessel The “Decurion” [2012] HKCFI 630 by the Court of First Instance of Hong Kong provided for the first time in a common law jurisdiction the meaning of “control” in the context of ship arrest. In this case, the Hong Kong Admiralty judge held it to be the person who is legally in control of a ship; for example, having entered into a time charter.

The test for arrest

On Tuesday 25 September 2012 the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs issued its latest amendment, Amendment 121, to the European Commission’s proposal for a recast of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (hereafter the Brussels I Regulation).