Rumput (Panama) S.A. & Belzetta Shipping Co. S.A. v. Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (The Leage) - Q.B.D. (Com.Ct.) (Bingham J.) - 18 January 1984

Section 1, Arbitration Act 1975 - Whether assignee of debt can claim under assignor’s arbitration agreement

Belzetta (the second plaintiffs) owned the vessel Leage , which they chartered to the defendants in 1982. The charterparty contained an arbitration clause providing for English law to govern the charter and for London arbitration. Rumput (the first plaintiffs) were a finance company. They had entered into an agreement with Belzetta in 1981 under which Belzetta assigned “all freights, hires and any other amounts of whatever nature which may at any time be earned by [the vessel]”.