The “Akademik Iosif Orbeli” - QBD (Admlty Ct)(Clarke J) - 5 December 1995

Cargo owners bring actions in England in contract and in tort against Russian shipowners - Whether actions should be stayed

The plaintiffs were the owners of cargo which was on board the ship Polessk which was totally lost in the South Atlantic in September 1993. They brought proceedings in England against the shipowners. The defendants applied to stay the actions on the ground that the claims should be determined by the St Petersburg City Arbitration Court in the Russian Federation.