Harms Bergung Transport und Heavylift GmbH & Co KG v Harms Offshore AHT “Uranus” GmbH & Co KG and Others – QBD (Admlty Ct) (Simon J) [2015] EWHC 1269 (Admlty) – 7 May 2015

Admiralty jurisdiction – Claimant ship management company alleging breaches of management agreement and of articles of association – Claimant bringing in rem claims to provide security – Whether defendants entitled to submit to jurisdiction in respect of ship management claims – Whether court had jurisdiction to hear articles of association claims

The claimant was a German ship management company that managed six anchor-handling tugs on behalf of their owners. The claimant also had a small shareholding in the German companies that owned the vessels. On 4 November 2014 the claimant issued six in rem claims in the Admiralty Court against the owners and/or demise charterers of the vessels.