To continue receiving the Admiralty Newsletter directly to your inbox, subscribe here: www.admiralty.news

Case Law

• Court of Appeal rules on landmark Mortgagees’ Interest Insurance dispute (4 Pump Court ; Hill Dickinson)

  Lenders and shipowners must review their mortgagees’ interest insurance policies to ensure coverage remains enforceable against war-risk carve-outs.

• Court dismisses Nord Stream pipeline insurance claim (HFW)

  Infrastructure operators must prepare for strict judicial enforcement of war and government-sabotage exclusions in primary property policies.

• Fifth Circuit confirms tug supplier acquires maritime lien despite charterparty no-lien clause (Chalos Law)

  Vessel owners cannot rely solely on standard charterparty no-lien clauses to protect their fleets from third-party suppliers asserting statutory maritime liens.

• Hill v. Jackson Offshore and the delegation clause (OE Digital)

  Well-drafted delegation clauses will successfully insulate operators from preliminary court litigation by forcing seaman disputes directly to arbitration.

• SCA sets aside tax authority demand against clearing agent in fuel transit dispute (Shepstone & Wylie)

  Clearing agents and logisticians gain a powerful defense against arbitrary state tax demands through the enforcement of strict administrative fair play.

• Australian Federal Court clarifies admiralty jurisdiction (AustLII)

  Litigants must strictly satisfy local procedural thresholds to prevent courts from setting aside arrest and security warrants.

• Unserviceable and abandoned vessels in harbours: Can injunctions assist? (Ashfords)

• English Court of Appeal upholds 4% monthly default interest introduction (HFW)

• Appeals court upholds FMC’s authority to strike down unreasonable container detention fees (gCaptain)

• Briety Shipping v Trafigura: Commercial Court holds LNG hire spread cannot be read as an absolute value (Solicitors Journal)

Regulatory

• Important regulatory changes for non-EU banks providing financial services to EU shipping companies (Stephenson Harwood)

  Third-country shipping financiers must urgently assess compliance hurdles under the new EU capital requirements framework to avoid transaction disruptions.

• First Nation challenges Vancouver port dredging approval over tanker expansion concerns (gCaptain)

  Takeaway: North American terminal operators should build indigenous consultation directly into project timelines to mitigate severe federal injunction risks.

• Ships to pay higher EU carbon fees as Brussels seeks to close loophole (ADVANT Nctm)

• IMO adopts international safety code for autonomous shipping (Hill Dickinson ; Stephenson Harwood)

• Deep seabed disputes: ISA responds to unilateral mining challenges (NCLOS ; Vinson & Elkins)

News & Opinion

• Demurrage claims and the pumping warranty (Britannia P&I)

• Cargo claims under Indonesian shipping law and implementing the limitation of liability (ARMA Law)

• Strait of Hormuz transit security and vessel arrest risks (TradeWinds ; Foley)

• Global offshore wind expansion and turbine wake effect disputes (Splash247 ; Splash247)

• Going dark: Legal risks of GPS jamming and AIS spoofing in charterparties (HFW)

• Ripples beyond off-hire: The continuing reach of The Global Santosh a decade later (Hill Dickinson)

• Navigating Nuclear: A leading light for nuclear maritime applications (K&L Gates)

• Stateless ships seek quick flag changes before entering European waters (Lloyd’s List)

• Casualties in shipping: When no one is to blame but someone pays (Noorden Jones)

• Is the Baltic facing existential damage from VLCC rate row? (TradeWinds)

• Insurance that covered terror, not war, leaves companies rushing for cover (WSJ)

• Fishery claims rise in South Korea waters (Gard)

• Infrastructure expansion and port tariff adjustments (PortNews)

• Simms Showers LLP announces new senior maritime hires (Simms Showers)

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. You should seek specific legal advice for your circumstances.

Subscribe: To receive this update weekly, visit www.Admiralty.News

Case Law

• Interpreting payment provisions in the Norwegian Saleform 2012 (Stephenson Harwood; UK Defence Club; Lloyd’s List; North Standard; CMS)
  “Banking Days” count only calendar days when banks are open in all named places, and the deadline to perform is measured by local “end of day” in the place where the obligation is to be fulfilled

• Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to Key ESA Decision for Oil and Gas Activities in Gulf of America (Holland & Knight)
  The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland dismissed a challenge by environmental groups to the 2025 Biological Opinion for Gulf of America oil and gas activities under the Endangered Species Act

• VOYWAR 1993: Alternative Voyage Orders and Frustration (Steamship Mutual)

• TQL case on broker transparency heads to oral arguments (Freight Waves)

• The importance of precise drafting when specifying product quality requirements (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• Sanctions enforcement trends from an English court perspective (WFW)

• Substance at sea: an update on evolving concepts in German maritime law (WFW)

• US court decisions could shake up Hague Rules impact, warns Gard (Lloyd’s List)

Regulatory

• UK ETS Enters into Force (Steamship; Skuld ; Norton Rose)

• Somalia accedes to fifteen international maritime conventions and legal instruments in a historic modernization of its maritime legal framework (Shabelle)

• Illegal Anchoring and STS Operations in Malaysian Waters: Legal Risks, Sanctions, and Commercial Exposure (Skrine)

• Electronic Bill of Lading: Legally permissible under Swiss law as a ledger-based securities (MME)

• When does UK employment law apply at sea? (Weightmans)

• Too much regulation or barely enough? A new era for the shipping agencies in Türkiye (Ersoy Bilgehan)

• US withholds long-term commitment to USMCA (Barnes Richardson)

News & Opinion

• Baltimore bridge collapse: $5bn claims and the insurance impact (Browne Jacobson)

• Smallegange Lawyers strengthens maritime practice with four-lawyer team (Cyprus Shipping News)

• How Screen Time Is Becoming a New Maritime Fatigue Risk (Maritime Injury Law Blog)

• Project cargoes after the US-Iran Accord: Charterparty issues (Kennedys)

• Hormuz contract disputes shaping up as huge issue for shipping and marine insurance (Lloyd’s List 1; Lloyd’s List 2)

• NGOs call for reform of systemic failings in livestock carrier trade (Lloyd’s List)

• Going dark: Legal risks of GPS jamming and AIS spoofing – collisions and groundings (HFW)

• Selling ships in a sanctions era: what does a seller need to do to minimise potential exposure to sanctions if the vessel ends up trading in Russia? (BDM)
  

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. You should seek specific legal advice for your circumstances.

To receive this update weekly to your inbox, subscribe at Admiralty.News

Case Law

• US Supreme Court expands trafficking liability under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act (Cadwalader)

  Maritime operators face heightened litigation risks as the US Supreme Court expands what constitutes actionable “trafficking” in confiscated Cuban property.

• Heroic Idun: learnings from landmark ITLOS ruling (Gard)

  This landmark ruling clarifies coastal state enforcement rights and P&I club coverage duties during unlawful vessel detentions.

• Fifth Circuit compels arbitration in Jones Act seaman case (Phelps)

  Shipowners can continue to rely on robust enforcement of arbitration clauses in employment contracts involving US maritime workers.

• Court disallows very late amendments to arbitration claim (Hill Dickinson)

  Litigants must advance all primary claims early, as courts will strictly reject eleventh-hour amendments that prejudice the defence.

• Hull cleaning costs under BIMCO hull fouling clause (Steamship Mutual)

  A rare ruling on the BIMCO Hull Fouling Clause for Time Charterparties found that charterers were not obliged to clean the hull before the vessel departed the idle port

• Indicative or binding CIF delivery dates and the time-critical right to reject (Reed Smith)

• Triumph of business common sense: banking days local concept (Mills & Co)

• Underperformance without good weather – Part II: Alternative methods (Skuld)

• Recent legal developments in 2026 in underperformance (speed and consumption) claims (Birketts)

Regulatory

• OFAC issues temporary 60-day General License authorising Iranian oil and petroleum transactions (HSF Kramer; Pillsbury; Akin Gump; Gibson Dunn; Reed Smith; Blank Rome)

  A remarkable - if temporary - departure from the comprehensive United States sanctions framework that has constrained Iranian energy trade for decades.

• Tightening the vise: E.U. continues sanctions pressure against Russian-origin oil (Foley Hoag)

  E.U. sanctions as well as the E.U.’s implementation of the G7 Price Cap Policy on Russian crude and petroleum may not necessarily align coterminously with U.S. sanctions and the U.S.’s implementation of the G7 Price Cap Policy.

• Indonesia’s new direction and competition law risks in centralised commodities exports (Rajah & Tann; JTJB)

• New China Maritime Code: key cargo issues for carriers (Gard)

• Argentina approves the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention (Marval)

• A new era in ship recycling: Turkey’s regulation on the authorisation of facilities enters into force (Ersoy Bilgehan)

• Navigating toxic waters: maritime pollution liability and enforcement in Malaysia (HHQ)

News & Opinion

• Section 45Z renewable fuel standard marine fuels (Bracewell)

  How US tax credits influence investment decisions and compliance strategies for alternative marine fuel bunkering.

• On the horizon 2026: CO2time 2026 – a new frontier and where to next (Sands)

  Does shipping need a bespoke charterparty for a cargo that has yet to reach anything close to commercial scale?

• Uncharted waters: risk allocation in FPSO and FLNG contracts (Haynes Boone)

  Traditional frameworks in EPCIC contracts are being tested to their limits. How should risk be rebalanced?

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. No lawyer-client relationship is created. You should seek specific legal advice for your circumstances.

Tonzip Maritime (Singapore) Pte Ltd v 2 Rivers Pte Ltd (The “Catalan Sea”) — England & Wales — Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal held that, under this charterparty sanctions clause, owners did not need to prove an actual sanctions breach; it was enough that they made an objectively reasonable judgment of a real risk of sanctions exposure. (Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law / BDM / Court of Appeal / Norton Rose)

Oceanus Capital Sarl v Lloyd’s Insurance Company S.A. (M/V “Vyssos”) — England & Wales — Commercial Court

The court’s first judicial interpretation of the Institute Mortgagees’ Interest Clauses held that a mine strike was the proximate cause of loss and that a deceived mortgagee was not “privy” to the trading warranty breach that defeated the owner’s war-risk cover. (DWF / Norton Rose Fulbright)

Transatlantica Commodities PTE Ltd v Eurochem Trading GmbH [2026] EWHC 1494 (Comm) — England & Wales — Commercial Court

The court confirmed that missing a declared COA shipment was non-performance, not mere delay, so damages were measured by the orthodox contract/market differential rather than by reference to a later substitute voyage. (NoordenJones / ICLG / Solicitors’ Journal)

HMTX Industries LLC v United States — United States — Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court declined review, leaving intact the Federal Circuit ruling that upheld USTR’s authority to impose and modify Section 301 List 3 and List 4A tariffs.
Watch this if: your cargo flows still assume a litigation off-ramp for China-origin tariff exposure; that door has now shut. (Barnes Richardson / Thompson Hine)

See also:

• Multiform Shipping Inc. v. Goyal Impex Inc., 2026 CanLII 57026 (FC) (CanLII)

• Scandinavian Star civil case thrown out — Nautilus International

• Final decision of international dispute against Russia on Ukrainian maritime rights — Association of Reintegration of Crimea

Regulatory

China Maritime Code 2026

China’s revised Maritime Code, in force from 1 May 2026, expands mandatory application of Chinese law to carriage involving a Chinese load or discharge port, eases interruption of the one-year time bar, broadens the“actual carrier” concept and changes the allocation of risk for unclaimed cargo. (Hesketh Henry)

OFSI General Licence INT/2026/9559192 and 16 June Russia package — OFSI / UK

The UK has paired new Russia sanctions designations with a general licence permitting steps necessary to enable and enact interdiction, signalling a live enforcement model against shadow-fleet shipping. (OFSI)

HNS Convention entry into force on 30 November 2027

The 2010 HNS Convention has finally met its trigger conditions, creating a two-tier compensation regime for hazardous and noxious substances, with strict shipowner liability backed by compulsory insurance and a second-tier HNS Fund. (Hill Dickinson)

Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships — Council Decision (EU) 2026/1099

The Council has authorised conclusion of the Beijing Convention, which is designed to give international effect to judicial sales of ships and reinforce clean-title recognition across borders. (Studio Legale Mordiglia)

Government Regulation No. 24 of 2026 on Strategic Natural Resource Commodity Exports — Government of Indonesia

Indonesia is centralising exports of covered commodities through a designated SOE mechanism, with coal, palm oil and ferro-alloy initially in scope and a transition period running no later than 31 December 2026. (ARMA Law)

BIMCO Biofuels Clause for Time Charterparties 2026

BIMCO’s new clause allocates responsibility for biofuel specification, testing, segregation, degradation risk and off-loading costs in time-charter performance. (Hill Dickinson)

See also:

• CRD VI Directive: potential implications for ship financiers — Fenech & Fenech Advocates

• The new UAE Civil Code: key changes and practical implications for commercial parties — Watson Farley & Williams

• 2026 ICC Arbitration Rule updates (Vinson & Elkins / Haynes Boone)

• CBSA: no provisional duties on Austrian OCTG — Tax & Trade Law Blog

• Resolución Directoral NO. 348-2026 MGP/DICAPI (Estudio Rodrigo)

News & Opinion

U.S.-Iran Interim Agreement: Implications for the Maritime Industry and Oil Trade

The piece explains that the 17 June 2026 MoU promises a 60-day framework for maritime reopening and Iranian oil-related sanctions relief, but stresses that the MoU is not itself a general licence and that OFAC guidance remains the real legal switch. (Holland & Knight)

Emerging U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding and Implications for Sanctions and Nuclear Negotiations

HSF Kramer reads the MoU as an interim sequencing device: limited sanctions waivers, promised reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, and a 60-day negotiation period toward a broader settlement. (Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer)

Owners and marine insurers face snap judgements over ‘fragile stabilisation’ in Strait of Hormuz

The argument is that a ceasefire headline does not restore underwriting normality; owners and insurers are still making rapid war-risk decisions in a market where CONWARTIME, VOYWAR and loss-of-hire positions remain open to dispute. (Lloyd’s List)

Mine-hit ship at centre of legal showdown over forged war risk cover

TradeWinds’ reporting on the Vyssos dispute usefully captures the commercial backdrop to the court fight:forged additional cover, a mine strike in Ukrainian waters and competing attempts to push the loss out of the war-risk tower. (TradeWinds)

See also:

• Insurers seek to define ‘war’ as risk rises of global power clashes (Financial Times)

• Limitation: UK versus US law (BDM Law)

• MSC acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd is possible but not probable, says competition lawyer (ShippingWatch)

• Unclear whether the EU will lift sanctions against shadow fleet (ShippingWatch)

• SBSB strengthens maritime and defense practice with addition of veteran litigator Stacey Norstrud (SBSB Eastham)

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. You should seek specific legal advice for your circumstances.

Subscribe: To receive this update weekly, visit www.Admiralty.News

To receive this update every week via email directly to your inbox, please subscribe at www.Admiralty.News

Case law

• Sahara Energy: when ‘undisputed’ means undisputed (BDM Law)

• Stadil family settles case ending years-long battle over bankrupt Thorco Shipping (Shipping Watch)

• You can’t choose your family: sanctions upheld in Ismailov v Secretary of State (Stephenson Harwood)

• Shipbuilding: court holds that failure to provide a refund guarantee is an innominate term, not a condition (BDM Law)

• Flexport/Freightmate case tests ownership of AI freight data and workflows (The Loadstar)

• Marine collision law in Ecuador (Villagrán Lara)

• Between a dock and a hard place: sanctions clauses (A&O Shearman)

• Court upholds validity of arbitration agreement governed by English law - Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd -v- Fertita Entertainment Inc & others [2026] (Hill Dickinson)

• Pro Victor: renunciation, repudiation and anticipatory breach - SK Shipping -v- Petroexport (Pro Victor) [2009] (Hill Dickinson)

• Agree to disagree: NSW Court of Appeal holds IATA arbitration clause not unilaterally binding (Kennedys)

• Third Circuit affirms COGSA’s one-year time bar applies to fraud claims and joins majority in limiting deviation doctrine (Maritime Management Worldwide Review)

• Kirby settles tug grounding spill dispute with Canadian Nation for $12m (TradeWinds)

• Canadian appeals court rejects green group’s claim over $10bn Equinor oil project’s shipping impact (TradeWinds)

• The Court of Justice rules on the liability of the organiser of a package travel for the latter’s proper performance (TransportWatch)

• Court holds that failure to check AI is negligent (BDM Law)

Regulatory

• OFAC unveils sweeping framework for Venezuela oil, gas and mineral exports (gCaptain)

• Kuwait MOI enforces new maritime law to boost safety and regulate sea use (Kuwait Times)

• Experts say bare-bones US laws are unfit to regulate nascent deep-sea mining industry (Mongabay)

• Hong Kong unveils new tax breaks to lure commodity traders and shipping firms (Splash 247)

• EU may be joining others in harder line toward China trade (Barnes, Richardson & Colburn)

• Digital enforcement of local marine cargo insurance in Kenya (Clyde & Co)

• Blue Homeland Law: a new framework for Türkiye’s maritime order (Daily Sabah)

• New EU FDI Screening Regulation: the good, the bad, and the not so pretty (Gibson Dunn)

• USTR proposes new Section 301 forced labour tariffs covering most major US trading partners (Gibson Dunn)

• Brazil aligns with the global oil pollution compensation regime (Tauil & Chequer Advogados)

• Lawmakers call on Trump’s trade chief to restore port fees on China-linked ships (TradeWinds)

• Russia-trading tankers to be inspected by the EU’s Mediterranean naval force (TradeWinds)

• Export controls alert: recent measures from the UK, EU, China and the United States (Wikborg Rein)

• EU expands sanctions for the first time to cover bunker ships helping shadow fleet (Shipping Watch)

• The real risk threshold for sanctions exposure (Squire Patton Boggs)

News & Opinion

• Unifor slams Senate report backing binding arbitration in transportation labour contracts (Maritime Mag)

• Training Targets Lack of Legal Clarity Around Right to Life at Sea (Marine Link)

• EU sanctions against service vessels could lead to higher prices from reliable suppliers (Shipping Watch)

• The law and practice of financing an underwater sea cable (Clyde & Co)

• CO2TIME: new standard form for the carriage of liquefied CO2 (Hill Dickinson)

• Jones Walker grows maritime practice with addition of special counsel Nicole Wolf in Miami (Jones Walker)

• Can shipping’s green shift survive global chaos? (Kvale)

• Two experienced lawyers bolster Schwabe’s ports and maritime team,expanding the group’s geographic footprint from Alaska to Southern California (Schwabe)

• Speed and performance FAQs (Steamship Mutual P&I Club)

• Is the UN the best option to resolve the Cambodia–Thailand maritime dispute? (Upstream)

• WFW named law firm of the year in aviation and shipping at CBLJ Awards 2026 (Watson Farley & Williams)

• Wikborg Rein named law firm of the year 2026 by IFLR Europe (Wikborg Rein)

In this week’s edition the Strait of Hormuz continues to feature prominently, alongside wider scrutiny of shadow-fleet trading, Russia-related enforcement and Cuba exposure.

Courts and commentators revisit familiar fault-lines: invalid notices of readiness, sanctions clauses, insurance recoveries, and asymmetric jurisdiction provisions.

Regulatory attention as turned to cyber obligations under NIS 2, trade tariffs, and blue-carbon governance.

Elsewhere, seafarers’ criminalisation and politically-driven litigation underline the industry’s broader operational pressures.

Case law

• Incompetence and passage planning in The Happy Aras: inference, adverse inference, common sense and the CMA CGM Libra paradox — a critical analysis (BAXLaw)

• Icelandic court dismisses Alcoa lawsuit against Eimskip and Samskip (ContainerNews)

• Guarantees, conditions and sinking claims: SLB v PAK (Gatehouse Chambers)

• Article 4 of the LLMC still virtually unbreakable after all these years? The Solong and the Stena Immaculate (IISTL)

• Asymetric jurisdiction clauses: can a lender retain the right to sue in multiple jurisdictions while restricting the borrower to a single forum? (Shal & Partners)

• Caught in the middle: when carriers face rival claims for delivery and how English law responds (HFW)

• Invalid notice of readiness and laytime: Commercial Court revisits The Happy Day (HFW)

• New Flamenco: collateral benefit or mitigated loss? (Hill Dickinson)

• Parallel proceedings: asymmetric jurisdiction clauses examined by the English Commercial Court (Stephenson Harwood)

• Premature NORs and the myth of deemed waiver: High Court guidance in The Sebat (Stephenson Harwood)

• De Badboot: what’s in a name? (Quadrant Legal)

• Shell ups the ante in Oz decommissioning legal wrangle (Upstream)

• Sanctions and risk avoidance clauses: Court of Appeal (Quadrant Chambers)

• Swedish court rules seized cargo ship can be handed over to Ukraine (Reuters)

• The Sebat: Commercial Court clarifies commencement of laytime following invalid NOR (UK Defence Club)

• What is the threshold to invoke a sanctions clause and refuse orders? The Court of Appeal provides clarity in The Catalan Sea (UK Defence Club)

• Chinese shipowner weighs Taiwan court challenge over $33m grounding (TradeWinds)

• MOL loses German court battle over car carrier sinking (TradeWinds)

• US states sue Trump over ‘sham deal’ to stop offshore project (Heavy Lift & Project Forwarding International)

Regulatory

• Netherlands customs launch major investigation into vessel exporting to Russia (Duane Morris)

• The International Chamber of Commerce unveils the new 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules (Bowmans)

• The ICC’s 2026 Arbitration Rules: what they mean for your business (Blackstone & Gold)

• Revision to the ICC Rules: 2026 edition (Stephenson Harwood)

• Regulatory update: KKP Decree No. 25/2026 on guidelines for determining blue-carbon management locations (AP Law Solution)

• New Harbours Bill for Northern Ireland: overview of proposed reforms to trust ports (Ashfords)

• USTR issues Section 301 determination against Brazil and proposes new tariffs (Barnes, Richardson & Colburn)

• US government moves toward far-reaching Section 301 tariffs (Orrick)

• USTR surprises nobody, recommends forced-labour tariffs for 60 countries (Barnes, Richardson & Colburn)

• Canada extends steel and aluminium trade measures: what stakeholders need to know (BLG)

• NIS 2 and the shipping industry: cybersecurity obligations for shipping companies entered into force (ERG Legal)

• Hong Kong to establish international commercial court (HFW)

• Hong Kong to establish international commercial court (Hill Dickinson)

• Louisiana Oilfield Indemnity Act: additions under HB 941 (Kean Miller)

• Russia challenges ship insurance rules as pressure on shadow fleet intensifies (Lloyd’s List)

• Choose your fighter: new IMO plans set up carbon-pricing showdown (Lloyd’s List)

• Cuba sanctions: what shipping needs to know (UK P&I Club)

• US secondary sanctions on Cuba: risks and uncertainties (Watson Farley & Williams)

• China’s new supply-chain security and countering rules: key takeaways and compliance actions (Wikborg Rein)

• Public Comments Sought on China Maritime Safety Administration’s Draft Criteria for Determining Dangerous Characteristics of Cargo Carried Onboard Ships (Hai Tong Law Firm)

• UK announces historic boost to seafarers’ rights and welfare (Shippax)

• From flags to choke points: US shipping regulator’s Laura DiBella pushes ahead with probes (TradeWinds)

News & Opinion

• Force majeure and LNG contracts (Vinson & Elkins)

• El Estrecho de Ormuz ante el derecho internacional: soberanía y libertad denavegación en tensión (Aiyon Abogados)

• Shipping still largely paralysed by lack of deal on reopening Straits of Hormuz (BDM)

• Mercuria lawyers say government deals got oil through Hormuz (gCaptain)

• Why today’s cargo-theft losses are bigger, and what insurance programmes may be missing (National Law Review)

• La demora tiene costo: seis años para aprobar un puerto estratégico (Araya & Cía)

• From liability to recovery: managing the challenges and risks of distressed cargo (Clyde & Co)

• France arrests Russian captain of Moscow-linked oil tanker (France 24)

• A mutiny to die for (New York Law Journal)

• Can we stop seafarers from being criminalised? (Lloyd’s List)

• Two partners named to 2026 Lawdragon 500 leading lawyers in maritime, admiralty and the high seas (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• SALEFORM 2025: from tradition to modern transactional reality (Preston Turnbull)

• Bangladesh shipbreaker tries to return US-sanctioned tanker to sender (TradeWinds)

• From machinery to liability: navigating the complexities of the modern engine room (UK P&I Club)

• Vedder wins Marine Money Securitization Deal of the Year award (Vedder Price)

• Singapore tries to keep Asia’s oil flowing (Financial Times)

Alongside those disputes, regulators are responding to subsea infrastructure threats, IEEPA, STCW, CO2TIME, and licences to recycle sanction ships.

Case law

• Tanzania Court of Appeal Clarifies VAT Treatment of Demurrage Charges in the Shipping Sector (Bowmans)

• Balancing Responsibility Under the Bill of Lading: Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd v Noel Cefai et (Ganado Advocates)

• Has the US COGSA Package Limitation Changed? (Holland & Knight)

• Montgomery v Caribe Transport II: No Shipper Liability Expansion (McCarter & English)

• Shipping Law: OW Bunker, The Res Cogitans Case and Retention of Title Clauses (Hill Dickinson)

• Invalid NORs and the Limits of Deemed Waiver: Key Charterer Lessons from The Sebat (Meco Group)

• Trans-Trade RK SA v Sebat Shipping and Trading Co [2026] EWHC 950 (Comm): Cargo Operations Do Not Cure an Invalid NOR Absent Waiver (Noorden Jones)

• Court Upholds Minimum Quantity Obligations Under Fuel Oil Trading Contracts (Hill Dickinson)

• Commercial Implications of Contractual Interpretations: Realities of Misallocating Risk (HFW)

• Ship Finance: Exclusive Jurisdiction Clauses (Hill Dickinson)

• Important New Sanctions Judgment: The Catalan Sea - Court of Appeal Clarifies the Test for Sanctions Risk, a Reasonable Apprehension of a Real Risk of Sanctions (4 Pump Court)

• Court of Appeal Clarifies Principles Relating to Limitation Period for Enforcement of Arbitral Awards (Allen & Gledhill)

• Section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996: When the High Bar Can Be Cleared (Stephenson Harwood)

• Disruption, Force Majeure And The English Law Disputes Arising From The Iran Conflict (Haynes Boone)

• UK Court Upholds Virtually Unbreakable Liability Shield in Solong-Stena Immaculate Collision (gCaptain)

• Solong Owners Can Cap Liability at Around $21m, High Court Rules (Lloyd’s List)

• Porsche Wins Felicity Ace Lawsuit as Cause of Fire Remains Unproven (gCaptain)

• Strict Liability, Broad Exclusions: Indiana Court of Appeals Bars Coverage for Barge Environmental Claim (FMG Law)

• SLT Imports Inc v SAR Transport Systems Pvt Ltd (CourtListener)

• Large Settlement for the Baltimore Bridge: Implications for the Sector Globally (IISTL)

• Families of Dead Workmen Settle Over Baltimore Bridge Disaster (TradeWinds)

• Tug Owner Agrees to Liability in Arkansas Bridge Strike (TradeWinds)

• Landmark Ruling Secures Fundamental Protection for Global Seafarers and Transport Workers (The Manila Times)

• The United States Supreme Court Taketh and the Texas Supreme Court Giveth (Kennedys)

• Heroic Idun: ITLOS Makes Record Award in Long-Running Ship Detention Case (Twenty Essex)

• Baltic Exchange Hits Back at Corrosive Mercuria Claim in Fast-Tracked Trial (TradeWinds)

• Kjell Inge Røkke Bests Christen Sveaas in Record-Breaking Solstad Offshore Battle (TradeWinds)

Regulatory

• US Court of International Trade Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs (Baker Law)

• US Container Cartel Charges Could Backfire and Drive Consolidation in China-Dominated Market (Lloyd’s List)

• Samsung Escalates Detention and Demurrage Battle with Wan Hai at FMC (The Logistic News)

• Greece Intensifies Ship Inspections Ahead of Summer Season (Safety4Sea)

• The Role of Crew in Preventing Bullying and Harassment on Board: Changes to the STCW Code (HFW)

• CO2TIME (BIMCO)

• Use of Scrubbers in the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area Med ECA (Skuld)

• UK Targets Subsea Cable Sabotage with New Penalties, Prison Sentences to Deter Russia (Marine Insight)

• Beneath the Surface - Managing Subsea Infrastructure Risk in Offshore Energy Projects (SANDS)

• Strait of Hormuz Tensions, Sanctions and Safe Passage Payments (DAC Beachcroft)

• Swedish Coast Guard Ready to Board More Suspect Ships in Baltic (TradeWinds)

• UK Expands Russia Sanctions and EU Clarifies Due Diligence for Tanker Vessel Sales (Wikborg Rein)

• US Grants GMS First Licences to Recycle Sanctioned Box Ships (Riviera)

• China Rejects Japan-Philippines Maritime Boundary Talks, Calls Them Entirely Illegal and Invalid (Marine Insight)

News & Opinion

• First Woman to Head the Panama Canal Authority (HANSA News)

• Opinion: The Three Maritime Action Plan Provisions That Could Matter Most (gCaptain)

• Op-Ed: The Jones Act Waiver Is Reshaping More Than Maritime Transportation (The Maritime Executive)

• Choking Point: Strait of Hormuz Disruptions (Marine Link)

• TT Club Expands Its Board of Directors to Meet Evolving Industry Needs (TT Club)

• Tulane Admiralty Law Institute Taps Arthur Kraatz for National Advisory Board (Phelps)

• Four Thompson Hine Partners Featured in the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in Maritime, Admiralty and the High Seas (Thompson Hine)

In the courts, there is new guidance on asymmetric jurisdiction clauses and concurrent proceedings, while recent decisions revisit recurrent pressure points: laytime and notices of readiness, freight broker liability post‑Montgomery, and Australia has ruled on the non‑limitability of wreck‑removal claims.

Case law

• Commercial Court gives important guidance on asymmetric jurisdiction clauses andconcurrent proceedings (4 Pump Court)

• High Court dismisses CSL Australia appeal on limitation of liability for wreck removalclaims (Colin Biggers & Paisley)

• Perils of service (or not) of an NOR (Weightmans)

• Court decides laytime dispute in favour of charterers (Hill Dickinson)

• No right for shipowners to limit wreck removal claims in Australia (HWLE)

• Supreme Court strips freight brokers of federal preemption defense (MMWR)

• High Court of Australia rules that all claims for wreck removal costs not limitable (NorthStandard)

• The Catalan Sea Court of Appeal ruling on sanctions risk assessment for shipowners (Wikborg Rein)

• The search for Moby Dick: the role of state law in maritime tort cases (Kaufman Dolowich)

• LLMC 1976, wreck removal and overlapping heads under Art 21: the High Court ofAustralia has spoken (IISTL)

• Shipping exchange argues Strait of Hormuz is not closed in lawsuit defence (Financial Times)

• Lessons learned from the Adani Enterprises OFAC settlement (The Volkov Law Group)

• High Court of Australia decides no limitation for wreck removal claims (Nair Legal)

• Large settlement for the Baltimore Bridge: implications for the sector globally (IISTL)

• One battle after another: freight brokers in a post-Montgomery world (Benesch)

• US antitrust charges against Chinese container makers to proceed despite non arrival of legal papers, lawyers say (Lloyd’s List)

Regulatory

• US Customs clarifies Jones Act rules for offshore platform (Holland & Knight)

• What to expect from the UK ETS (Lloyd’s List)

• IMO adopts the MASS Code: a new era for autonomous shipping (IISTL)

• Act now, not later: understanding the legal risks of autonomous vessels before theMASS Code becomes mandatory (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• Turkish maritime cabotage: tugs green (Esenyel Partners)

• Improving maritime safety under the Safer Seas Act (Maritime Injury Center)

• FMC proposes changes to rulemaking process to expand stakeholder influence (Husch Blackwell)

• The modernization of the Navigation Code in the Law on the Sea (Mordiglia)

• Trump sanctions on Cuba take full swing against non-US shipowners (Lloyd’s List)

News & Opinion

• The fate of damaged goods during force majeure (Al Suwaidi & Company)

• Beyond the asset: legal due diligence and M&A trends in vessel acquisitions (Reed Smith

• Singapore escrow freeze disrupts ship deals amid US sanctions crackdown (Lloyd’sList)

• Singamas lawyers up over US price-fixing claims (TradeWinds)

• Managers face increasing legal risks over known ship defects, insurer warns (TradeWinds)

• ‘The world is not going to be the same’: global turmoil rattles shipping (TradeWinds)

• Structuring maritime technology trials and pilot projects: balancing risk andinnovation (DAC Beachcroft)

• Sea Sustainability Series: recent developments and the impact of global conflicts (DWF)

• VOYWAR 1993: charterers’ duty to cooperate with owners in giving alternativedischarge port orders when in a war zone (IISTL)

• Hormuz Disruption: Emerging Production Risk for Global Operators (Moore & Van Allen)

Elsewhere, English and common-law decisions continue to reinforce strict contractual discipline in demurrage and general average disputes.

Trade policy volatility in the US also remains material for supply chains, with Section 122 tariffs considered in multiple updates.

On the policy front, MEPC 84, offshore emissions regimes, and autonomous shipping codes are advancing unevenly, with financing and insurance markets taking their time to adjust.

To receive this update every week via email, please subscribe at www.Admiralty.News

Case law

• Invalid notices of readiness: Commercial Court reinforces strict compliance requirement for owners (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• Judgment on liability for wrongful detention of a vessel in connection with a bunker claim (WSCO)

• General Average Claim Dismissed for Master’s Incompetence (Rajah & Tann)

• Ship arrest and Mareva injunctions: cumulative remedies in shipping disputes and the emerging Indian position (Singularity Legal)

• Sequestro navale e giurisdizione: una ricostruzione “dinamica” del radicamento cautelare (Siccardi Bregante)

• South Africa: Can security increase after an arrested ship has sailed? The SCA says yes (Bowmans)

• Canadian owner loses $15m collision battle in Australia’s highest court (TradeWinds)

• Court of International Trade Rules that Global 10% Tariff Is Invalid (Orrick)

• Section 122 Global Tariffs Invalidated by the Court of International Trade: Ruling and Next Steps (Gibson Dunn)

• U.S. Court of International Trade Rules President’s Section 122 Tariffs Unlawful (Cozen O’Connor)

• Liskow finalizes historic settlement for the State of Maryland in Francis Scott Key Bridge allision (Liskow)

• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd v The Ship: Yangze 22 (No 2) [2026] FCA 476 (Federal Court of Australia)

• Ocean Network Express Pte Ltd v The Ship ‘Blue Fin’ [2026] FCA 555 (Federal Court of Australia)

Regulatory

• EU Adopts 20th Sanctions Package Against Russia - Key Implications for The Maritime and Trade Sector (Noorden Jones)

• Force majeure and the change of route for ships (Alsuwaidi & Company)

• Canada proposes reforms to accelerate trade and transport projects (Torys)

• No apostille? No problem: Malta’s ship registry streamlines its rules (Ganado Advocates)

• Offshore wind energy in Germany – recent developments under the Offshore Wind Energy Act (Noorden Jones)

• Trump Administration seeks information to relaunch nuclear-powered commercial shipping (Hogan Lovells)

• The Duality of the U.S. Maritime Action Plan: Near-Term Impact and Long-Term Challenges (Vedder Price)

• European Shipowners weigh in on EU ETS revision (Lloyd’s List)

• Regulation experts see murky waters ahead for NZF talks (Lloyd’s List)

• What MEPC 84 means for shipping: A fragmented but not stalled transition (Hill Dickinson)

• Two Fuels, Two Frameworks: Comparing ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime (Vedder Price)

• New greenhouse gas requirements for offshore service vessels (Schjødt)

• U.S. Customs clarifies Jones Act rules for offshore platform decommissioning (Holland & Knight)

• The Voluntary MASS Code – sea-change or business as usual? (DAC Beachcroft)

• Sanctions: a new legal route? Recycling sanctioned vessels under EU and UK regimes (Hill Dickinson)

News & Opinion

• Time to rewrite the rules of shipping war risk insurance (TradeWinds)

• Tanzania: Managing risk in East Africa – Practical considerations for owners and operators calling in the country (Bowmans)

• Risk allocation in a changing Middle East: practical lessons for shipping, trade and marine insurancemarkets (Stephenson Harwood)

• Heads or tails? Container shipping facing rates, demand and overcapacity pressures (HFW)

• When long-term commodity deals break: lessons from market shocks and defaults (Watson Farley & Williams)

• Changing tides: How women are shaping the future of maritime (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• Law firm CJC recruits and promotes to bolster shipping expertise (TradeWinds)

• Vinesh Mistry promoted to senior associate (Kennedys)

On the regulatory and policy side, China’s blocking rules and revised Maritime Code (including fire liability) are contrasted with US measures affecting voyages, tax outcomes and the FMC’s evolving climate posture.

War-risk and supply-chain analyses continue to mostly track Red Sea and Hormuz-related concerns, and elsewhere Hong Kong highlights its mediation capacity-building; Barbados advances expanded maritime powers; and it’s looking like Thailand v Cambodia could be heading to ITLOS.

Case law

• Volcafe -v- CSAV: Burden of proof under the Hague (and Hague‑Visby) Rules (Hill Dickinson)

• MV Canary – English court refuses challenge under section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• “The Sebat”: Commencement of Laytime in the Absence of a Valid Notice of Readiness (MFB Solicitors)

• Shipowner loses out after master files paperwork too early (Lloyd’s List)

• Interim anti-suit injunction granted in G2 Ocean v Tokio Marine Brasil Seguradora [2026] EWHC 997 (Comm) “The Tanchou Arrow” (4 Pump Court)

• TSL Legal secures leave to appeal on novel questions of admiralty law (PDLegal)

Regulatory

• Navigating international disputes: enforcement of Singapore judgments in England and Wales (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• US Tax Consequences of the Jones Act Waiver (Hughes Hubbard & Reed)

• China’s first use of Blocking Rules against U.S. sanctions on Chinese refineries (StephensonHarwood)

• Changes Are Ablaze: China’s Revised Maritime Code Reshapes Fire Liability for Carriers (Liskow)

• A New Front in Shipping’s Climate Battle: The Federal Maritime Commission (gCaptain)

• Sweeping new law to expand maritime powers (Barbados Today)

• Taxation of the maritime sector – an update (WFW)

News & Opinion

• WFW promotes seven lawyers to counsel (WFW)

• Kavita Shah promoted to run European and Americas shipping for law firm WFW (Tradewinds)

• The method in Iran’s madness: closure of Strait of Hormuz echoes a centuries-old Danish play and is a tragedy for the world order (The Conversation)

• Can a Cyber-Attack on a Mobilised Vessel Qualify as Capture and Seizure under English Marine Insurance Law? (NUS Centre for Maritime Law Working Paper)

• The DFC maritime reinsurance facility’s role with respect to the blockade of shipping in theStrait of Hormuz (Kennedys)

• Middle East crisis: impacts on the supply chain (Kennedys)

• Beyond the blockaded area: interdicting Iranian oil and the limits of existing maritime legalframeworks (European Journal of International Law)

• When the sea stops being free (Splash 247)

• Hong Kong-based mediation body resolves international maritime dispute (SCMP)

• Thailand Warned of Cambodia’s ‘Secret Weapon’ in Looming Maritime Legal Battle (The Nation Thailand)

Courts and commentators are wrestling with new opinions on laytime and invalid NORs, punctual hire, repossession timing, and liability limits from Brazil to South Africa. Not to mention China’s Maritime Code 2026, BIMCO’s new CO2 charterparty wording, contaminated fuels, cargo liquefaction, and even alleged benchmark distortion.

To receive this update every week via email directly to your inbox, please subscribe at www.Admiralty.News

Case law

Commencement of laytime and invalid NORs: revisiting The Happy Day (IISTL)

MV Tai Harmony v Sure Success Steamship S.A (Clyde & Co)

Redefining package limitation in the United States (MMWR)

South Africa: court orders SARS to release seized vessel against guarantee – a significant customs and maritime ruling (Bowmans)

Songa Pride: when and where must owners repossess (Steamship Mutual)

ITIC warning to marine surveyors following US$30,000 off-spec grain cargo dispute (IIMS)

Mercuria sues Baltic Exchange over distortion of key tanker-rate benchmark in Middle East war (Tradewinds)

Teekay Shipping (India) Private Limited vs. Union of India and Ors (Bose Mitraco)

Regulatory

Shipowners’ liability limits in Brazil (Steamship Mutual)

China Maritime Code 2026: key changes and considerations for carriers (NorthStandard)

China’s Maritime Code 2026: sea of change (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

Key amendments to China’s new Maritime Code (Skuld)

EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia: further maritime enforcement (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

Convergence and divergence: the UK and EU emissions trading schemes for maritime transport (Stephenson Harwood)

UK ETS is on the horizon (UK Defence)

Share your views on UK maritime labour laws with the MCA (Nautilus International)

Jones Act waiver raises potential U.S. federal income tax issues (Seward & Kissel)

Chartering of support vessels – Competition review of ANTAQ rule (Pinheiro Neto Advogados)

The new Maritime Action Plan and public-private partnerships (Squire Patton Boggs)

News & Opinion

Navigating DOJ’s new corporate enforcement landscape: key considerations (environmental) (Blank Rome)

Navigating US arrival guide: vessels, port entry and inspections (arrival) (Blank Rome)

What next for the Straits of Hormuz? (BDM Law)

20,000 stranded seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz face missile fears, exhaustion and isolation (The Conversation)

Why are maritime laws failing to secure the seas? (Al Jazeera)

Hormuz crisis erodes global maritime legal order, Kuala Lumpur forum hears (Lloyd’s List)

Strait of Hormuz blocking and trapping, and war risk cover (Hill Dickinson)

When the Strait closes, your contracts get tested (Foley & Lardner)

Open waters, open questions: allocation and priority after the Hormuz crisis (Squire Patton Boggs)

When supply chains break: force majeure, hardship and the sulfuric acid crisis (Akin Gump)

Regulatory relief and evolving force majeure (KSA) (Clyde & Co)

Why are 110 certified Indian ship recycling yards frozen out by Brussels? (BIMCO)

BIMCO publishes standard wording for liquefied CO₂ charterparties (Lloyd’s List)

Libya’s growing fuel smuggling empire starts to shift from tankers to containers (Lloyd’s List)

Clay liquefaction: a sticky risk to bulk cargo safety (Skuld)

Marine fuels contaminated with unwanted chemical compounds (Skuld)

Ten years on: has the Insurance Act 2015 actually delivered for policyholders? (Fenchurch Law)

Reconnaissance: legal due diligence lessons (Blank Rome)

On the horizon: 2026 LNG in turbulent times (SANDS)

American steel: with US fuel prices so high, what has the Jones Act waiver actually accomplished? (Tradewinds)

Clyde & Co Hamburg spins off in full office to launch Noordenjones (Tradewinds)

Financing of German Shipowners by Foreign Banks (Noordenjones)

SBSB managing partner John Schouest ranked among legal industry’s top leaders (SBSB Law)

Chartwell attorney Elisha Sullivan named Maritime Attorney of the Year at the 2026 Florida Legal Awards (Chartwell Law)

GrayRobinson shareholder Jim Moseley named president of the Maritime Law Association of the United States (GrayRobinson)

Introducing our new partner: Margot Wastnage (Tatham Law)

Punctual payment of time charter hire: case law and practical guidance (Hill Dickinson)

Case law

• Hormuz passage not settled law, lawyers warn (TradeWinds)

• Happy Aras: When “Negligence” Becomes “Incompetence” – A Charterer’s Defence Playbook on General Average (The MECO Group)

• Letters of credit – Does the buyer remain on the hook? (Floyd Zadkovich)

• Arbitration awards: a rare, successful challenge on the ground of serious irregularity (Hill Dickinson)

• Limitation in respect of Wreck Removal Costs (MFB Solicitors)

• Security is not a suit: what shipowners need to know after The Taikoo Brilliance (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• Singapore High Court Draws Sharp Distinction Between Compensatory and Preventive Indemnities under SALEFORM 2012 (Rajah & Tann )

• Buyer of vessels – application for interim mandatory injunction (Norton Rose Fulbright)
  

Regulatory

• “Regulatory Unfitness to Trade”: The New Seaworthiness Frontier in Decarbonisation Disputes (Part III – FuelEU Maritime) (Arun Kasi & Co)

• MARPOL Annex VI (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) – Key Developments for 2026 (Clyde & Co)

• MEPC 84 early expectations (Lloyd’s Register)

• South Africa: The Marine Oil Pollution (Preparedness, Response and Cooperation) Act 8 of 2025 (NorthStandard)

• Ecuador: Entry into force of the Hamburg Rules on 1 August 2026 (West of England P&I)

• Sanctions: EU approves 20th package against Russia - maritime services ban on hold (Hill Dickinson)

• Sanctions against Russia: EU’s 20th Sanctions Package – No Maritime Services Ban…Yet (UK Defence Club)

• Maritime incidents involving biofuel blends: what is the legal safety net? (Van Traa)
  

News & Opinion

• Hormuz revisited: 36 Stone’s follow-up briefing on the still dire Strait (36 Group)

• Blockade and Capture: the significance of M/V TOUSKA (Chalos & Co, P.C.)

• Tolling the Strait of Hormuz, Part 2: Who Pays, What Insurance Covers, and How to Protect YourPosition (Hadef & Partners)

• Between rules and orders: shipping’s compliance dilemma in a fractured world (Lloyd’s List)

• Impacts of the Middle East crisis on charterparty disputes (Kennedys)

• Legal implications of the Iran conflict for energy and commodity traders (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• The Hormuz crisis: are the Iran and US blockades illegal? (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• Contracts in the Crossfire: Three Contract Fault Lines Exposed by the 2026 Iran War (RHT Law Asia)

• When red flags change meaning: Rethinking maritime sanctions risk in times of crisis (HKA)

• Well Heeled - April 2026 (Stephenson Harwood)

• Canadian Nation presses IMO on compensation for devastating 2016 oil spill (TradeWinds)

• Stephenson Harwood promotes three new partners to strengthen shipping team (TradeWinds)

• Jones Walker Expands Its Nationally Recognized Maritime Practice with the Addition of a Partnerand an Associate in Houston (Jones Walker)

• Can Injured Merchant Mariners Sue for Damages After a War-Related Attack? (Preston Easley)

• SALEFORM 2025: a more realistic foundation for today’s S&P deals (Watson Farley & Williams)

• SPC Issues Judicial Interpretation on Temporal Effect of Maritime Code (Haitong)

Alongside the firefighting sits the slow grind of compliance and policy: emissions rules shaping S&P, MLC readiness, US-flag incentives and waivers, plus a Washington budget pitched as maritime muscle.

Case law

• When Local Law Diverges from the Global Maritime Order: The MV Wakashio Judgment and What It Means for Shipping in Mauritius (Appleby)

• UK High Court Clarifies Key Provisions of the Hague-Visby Rules (Skrine)

• The Skyros is the limit for owners when it comes to late redelivery damages…for now (Watson Farley & Williams)

Regulatory

• Will the Strait of Hormuz Mark the Return of the ‘Cannonball Rule’? (Gorrissen Federspiel)

• The impact of emissions regulations on S&P transactions (Stephenson Harwood)

• Jones Act Shipping Rules Relaxed Under New 60-Day Waiver (Haynes Boone)

• Preparing Passenger Ships for MLC Compliance in 2027 Amid Heightened Security Risks (Holland & Knight)

• US Limitation of Liability Act: Meeting the Covered Small Passenger Boat Exception (Steamship)

• White House Unveils Historic Maritime Budget: What It Means for America’s Shipping Future (Holland & Knight)

• What the FMC’s Rejection of War Surcharges Means for Your Supply Chain (International Trade & Supply Chain Insights)

• SUPERMAN 2025 – Key Changes and Practical Considerations (Clyde & Co)

• Maritime union proposes tax break to tempt more cargo onto US-flag ships (TradeWinds)

• Approval of the framework law on maritime space planning and management in Timor-Leste (VdA)

• Book review: The Agreement of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (Law Gazette)

News & Opinion

• Persian Gulf latest: Can I pay a toll to the IRGC to get my ship out and what are the legal risks?(BDM)

• Speed and performance claims: Underperformance without good weather - navigating benchmark conditions (Skuld)

• Abandonment of Seafarers: When Legal Duty Is Not Enough (Fichte & Co)

• Strait of Hormuz: why the US and Iran are sailing in very different legal waters (The Conversation)

• 2025 Year-end hull reports (Cefor)

• Is the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait Next After the Strait of Hormuz? (Esenyel Partners)

• Oil industry scheme may have to pay for uninsured shadow fleet spill (Lloyd’s List)

• Commercial Maritime Nuclear Power: Mobile Energy and Propulsion at Scale (Orrick)

• Penningtons Manches Cooper expands Singapore team with hire of master mariner (Penningtons Manches Cooper)

• Is it Force Majeure? (Simms Showers)

• Stephenson Harwood strengthens its Maritime, Trade & Offshore Practice with arrival of Charles Lockwood (Stephenson Harwood)

• From the tanker wars to the Hormuz: Lawyer Paul Dean opens up on advising clients in times ofcrisis (TradeWinds)

• American Steel: How do you get king cargo to fall in line and choose US-flag ships? (TradeWinds)

• Owners urged to use new sale-and-purchase form amid sanctions and green fuel revisions(TradeWinds)

• The Strait of Hormuz Crisis - Charterparty, Arbitration and Risk Allocation (Haiwen & Partners)

• Blockading in the Persian Gulf: Navigating uncertainty in shipping law and marine insurance (DWF Group)

To receive this update every week via email directly to your inbox, please subscribe at www.Admiralty.News

Case law

• The Celestial Judgment – UK Supreme Court Confirms Wide Reach of UK Sanctions Regulations, Including Over Letters of Credit (HFW)

• Court dismisses challenge to arbitration award addressing cargo claims (Hill Dickinson)

• World Shipping Council v Federal Maritime Commission: D.C. Circuit upholds agencyinterpretation of “unreasonable refusal to deal or negotiate” (The Maritime Law Blog)

• Commodities in Focus Weekly – Finco International AG v Integra Petrochemicals Europe AG (Stephenson Harwood)

Regulatory

• On the electrification of port quays: the cold ironing system (ADVANT)

• A Deep Dive Into the Policies Affecting Low-Carbon Shipping Fuel (Bracewell)

• Timeline to achieve compliance under FuelEU for the 2025 reporting year (Skuld)

• Fight over Houthi sinking arrives in US court — with an unexpected litigant (TradeWinds)

• Carriage Of Goods and Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships -The Liability of the Carrier Under International Sea Cargo Regimes (SSRN)

• Fees for seas: a history of taxing waterways (Financial Times)

News & Opinion

• How to avoid bunker disputes (BDM)

• Maritime arbitration v direct enforcement of credit documents in Brazil (Castro Barros Advogados)

• Not Strait-Forward (Poten & Partners)

• Estoppel And Legitimate Expectation: Can The Public Trust The State? (Shepstone & Wylie)

• The Gulf of Hormuz. Can Iran toll-yah? (IISTL)

• Hull fouling in Persian Gulf (BDM)

• Iran War Sows Mayhem for Big Law’s Energy Clients in Texas (Bloomberg Law)

• The International Forms of Vessel Sale and Purchase (“S&P”): The Modern Practice of GlobalShipping and Maritime (ARMA Law)

• Iran Conflict – Global Shipping Risks Explained (Benesch)

• CK Hutchison starts London arbitration against Maersk over Panama (Bloomberg)

• When the Smoke Clears: Maritime Contract Claims After Hormuz Disruption (Holland &Knight)

• Strait of Hormuz disruption – Disputes risks for energy and infrastructure projects (Hogan Lovells)

• The effects of the war in Iran on energy contracts: Between force majeure, hardship and thepossibility to claim performance (Hogan Lovells)

• Possible implications of Iranian tolls to transit the Strait of Hormuz (Kennedys)

• A Year in Review: The Finance Charter Instrument (Mamo TCV)

• Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Distress Risks Ahead (Sidley)

• Deviation - FAQs (Steamship Mutual)

• FFA experts brace for disputes as Hormuz closure clouds VLCC rate assessments (TradeWinds)

This week’s edition ranges from e-bills of lading and limitation clocks to new frontiers of seaworthiness and the control of autonomous vessels. We’ve also got digressions about the new economics of the FMC, Jones Act, and the Middle East, and it turns out Canada has a Jones Act.

To receive this update every week via email directly to your inbox, please subscribe at www.Admiralty.News

Case law

• Court of Appeal rules against bill of lading holder in conversion claim (Allen & Gledhill)

• Singapore: Peril of the seas presumption fails without investigation of cause (Reed Smith)

• Supreme Court of Spain confirms one‑year time bar is a limitation period of lapse (Penningtons)

• Court considers delivery terms and vessel nomination in CIF contract subject to BP GTCs (Hill Dickinson)

• Court of Appeal nullifies Akwa Ibom maritime sector regulation law (Banwo Ighodalo)

• The Beijing Convention on the judicial sale of ships - what it could mean for future practice? (Reed Smith)

• A Brief Overview of the OLAM Case (Arizon)

Regulatory

• Electronic bills of lading now legally recognised under Dutch law (Smart Maritime Network)

• EU Commission adopts new ports and industrial maritime strategies (Matheson)

• Nature treaty preserves IMO’s mandate (Lloyd’s List)

• STF sets limits on TCU’s power to override sectoral regulators — impact on port sector (Tauil & Chequer)

• Guardians of the deep: expanding protections for the UK’s military maritime heritage (HFW)

• Canada has a Jones Act? Analysis of Canadian cabotage and local-content rules (Millar Kreklewetz)

• Contours of the Jones Act waiver (Floyd Zad)

• Re‑establishment of specialised commercial law courts in Malta (Piazza Legal)

• The first 24 hours: benefit of SCMA for maritime claims in Indonesia (ADCO)

• FMC rejection of carriers’ surcharge waiver shows shift in US shipping politics (JOC)

• Dutch‑based lawyer challenges PH maritime laws (Global Nation/Inquirer)

News & Opinion

• Strait of Hormuz: ships paying Iran in yuan and crypto tolls for safe passage (Bloomberg)

• Iran asserts sovereignty over Hormuz by enshrining transit fees into law (Tradewinds)

• Who controls the Strait of Hormuz? Iran’s toll plan could reshape global maritime order (TRT World)

• Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf — legal implications (Thommessen)

• Hormuz crisis: managing force majeure and supply‑chain risks (Oon & Bazul)

• Hormuz crisis impact on global energy (Esenyel Partners)

• Persian Gulf hostilities — charterparty FAQs (North Standard)

• Autonomous shipping’s legal grey zone — who’s really in control? (The Digital Ship)

• From gas to grain: the risks are interconnected and building (Stephenson Harwood Perspectives)

• Sailing into the unknown — voyage charterparty considerations for turbulent times (Stephenson Harwood)

• The VHS vs Betamax problem at the heart of maritime decarbonisation (Sands)

• Regulatory unfitness to trade — new seaworthiness frontier in decarbonisation disputes (Arun Kasi)

• HFW creates new senior manager for shipping amid promotion round (Tradewinds)

• FMC, supply chain shocks and contract impacts (Squire Patton Boggs)

Jones Act gynmastics have opened legal gaps as foreign vessels reckon with US domestic rules. LNG projects and long‑term supply chains face competing commercial and legal shocks. Bunkering markets and crew wellbeing in the Persian Gulf are being tested as routes and insurance premiums reprice.

Courts and arbitrators are sharpening the law: recent judgments and rulings nudge carrier liability, late‑redelivery damages, and the scope of enforceable arbitration agreements. Trade measures and tariffs (including Section 301 chatter) are top of mind, and enforcement officials in the US are fixing their bayonets over Panama‑flagged vessel detentions.

Case law

• An Seaways v Allianz (Britannia P&I)

• V Ships Ltd v Luna Management Corp (Mills & Co)

• Skyros and Agios Minas: assessment of damages for late redelivery (UK Defence)

• Court finds Russian proceedings breached contractual arbitration agreements (Hill Dickinson)

• Kiveli collision with Afina I - Rule 14 applies until the risk of collision has passed (Penningtons)

• U.S. District Court issues judgment in favour of Kuehne + Nagel (FloydZad)

Regulatory

• SOLAS amendments effective 1 January 2026 - what shipowners, operators and managers must prepare (AGP Law)

• SOLAS amendments on container loss reporting — new mandatory requirements from 1 January 2026 (AGP Law)

• Temporary waiver of the U.S. Jones Act - what to know (Gard)

• Trump administration issues 60‑day Jones Act waiver amid Iran war (Blank Rome)

• Foreign vessels operating under the Jones Act waiver — consider what other US laws may apply (K&L Gates)

• The US issues a temporary limited waiver of its cabotage requirements (North Standard)

• US trade developments and tariff outlook (BLG)

• Check your charterparty if trading to the US (Gard)

• Force majeure and LNG contracts (Vinson & Elkins)

• Force majeure “in uncertain times” - how businesses can protect themselves (CBP)

• The legal impact of the conflict in the Middle East (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• War‑risk insurance amid Hormuz Strait disruptions (Kvale)

• War insurance in the Middle East - legal and commercial implications (Morgan Lewis)

• Has marine insurance become a war risk? (Law.com / New York Law Journal)

• US trade developments - IEEPA, tariffs end and Section 301 outlook (BLG)

• Litigating tariff refund pass‑on class actions - lessons from antitrust (Vinson & Elkins)

• Shipping terms under the UCC and Incoterms - supply chain survival (Quarles & Brady)

• How Jamieson Greer trade probes could impose new fees on shipping (Tradewinds)

• China’s surge in Panama‑flagged vessel detentions — FMC warns (Tradewinds)

News & Opinion

• Courts have become less sympathetic to carriers (Shearwater Law)

• Evolving landscape of dispute resolution (The Law Gazette, Singapore)

• LCI Athens office and senior shipping partners ranked top‑tier in The Legal 500 2026 (LCI Law)

• Retrofitting fleet - heavy green lifting has limits (Tradewinds)

• Strait‑talking - Briefing on the impact of the Iran war on shipping (36 Group)

• The Iran war - property and business interruption insurance implications for policyholders (Fenchurch Law)

• Persian Gulf hostilities — crew wellbeing (North Standard)

• Tehran tollbooth - how Iran picks who to let through the Strait of Hormuz (Al Jazeera)

• Iran war and international shipping - navigating disruption and legal risk (Blank Rome)

• Iran conflict - impact on marine bunkers (North Standard)

• How the law of naval warfare applies to the Strait of Hormuz (The Conversation)

• China’s urgent need to plug maritime insurance gap (SCMP)

• The maritime net zero framework matters far beyond shipping (Nature)

• How Iran is seeking to cash in on the Strait of Hormuz (Financial Times)

• The Middle East conflict — key legal considerations for project contracts (Paul Hastings)

• BIMCO brings in veteran shipping lawyer to help shape autonomous contracts (Tradewinds)

• Geopolitical disruption — interface between shipping, construction contracts and supply chains (Hill Dickinson)

• Nintendo may win its case against the US government — tariffs are here to stay (NintendoLife)

• US trade and tariff commentary (City‑Yuwa)

• Navigating the digital tide — generative AI and the Washington Public Records Act (Schwabe)

• The legal impact of the conflict in the Middle East (Norton Rose Fulbright)

• Check your charterparty if trading to the US (Gard)

• How Jamieson Greer trade probes could impose new fees (Tradewinds)

There’s also regulatory updates from Singapore, news on the Beijing Convention, and practical guidance for ports, insurers, and shipowners: how to avoid getting your ship arrested, how to shore up war risks cover, and how to create charterparties that don’t blow up when the next flare‑up arrives.

1) Case law

1. English High Court Accepts Classification of Refund Guarantee Obligation As Innominate Term in Shipbuilding Dispute (Haynes Boone)

2. When “No Later Than” Is Not Enough: Calver J on Refund Guarantees, Conditions, Innominate Terms and Commercial Common Sense (Stephenson Harwood)

3. Shipbuilding: Commercial Court considers Refund Guarantees, Conditions and Innominate Terms (UK Defence Club)

4. Kiveli v Afina 1: Head On or Crossing Encounter? (Britannia P&I Club)

5. When draft survey prevails: Brazilian shortage claims after the ‘SEA HONEST’ judgment (Gard)

6. Judgment handed down in SLB and others v PAK and others [2026] EWHC 449 (Comm) (4 Pump Court)

7. The Maltese Falcon: When Contracts Allocate Risk, Courts Will Not Rewrite the Bargain (Haynes Boone)

2) Regulatory

1. Jones Act Waiver Issued in Response to Iran Conflict: Legal Analysis and Implications (Holland Knight)

2. Customs and Border Protection Publishes Implementation of 60-Day Jones Act Waiver as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Disrupts Energy Markets (Seward Kissel)

3. Amendments To The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 Of Singapore: Removal Of The Requirement For Bill Of Sale Endorsement (Stephenson Harwood)

4. The Beijing Convention: what it means for shipping debts and judgments (Hill Dickinson)

5. US ease-off on Russia sanctions will make no difference for most (Lloyd’s List)

6. Trump’s Jones Act waiver raises complaints — but will it be challenged? (TradeWinds)

3) News & Opinion

1. “Regulatory Unfitness to Trade”: The New Seaworthiness Frontier in Decarbonisation Disputes (Part I – CII) (Arun Kasi)

2. Persian Gulf recurring issues (BDM)

3. From Hormuz to Gibraltar: why conflict-driven shipping stress may end in more ship arrests (ISOLAS)

4. Key considerations: Time bars in inland and coastal shipping in Australia (Kennedys)

5. Movement through the Strait of Hormuz muddies the waters on force majeure (Stephenson Harwood)

6. Geopolitical Tensions and Maritime Risk | Why Strategic Ship Registration Matters More Than Ever (A.G. Paphitis & Co.)

7. Iran War triggers a reshaped marine insurance risk landscape (Kennedys)

8. Ports and terminals feel the strain of the war in Iran (Kennedys)

9. How The Iran War Has Snarled Global Oil & Gas Shipping (Law 360)

10. Strait of Hormuz status puts seafarer repatriation obligations on shipowners (Lloyd’s List)

11. Time Charterers: limiting the scope of the implied indemnity (Steamship)

12. Sunk by the small print: onerous clauses in marine insurance (Kennedys)

This week’s edition highlights U.S. federal rulings on enforcement and seizures, UK appellate and admiralty decisions in collision cases, and the Afina/Kiveli appeals.

Regulatory coverage includes EU ports strategy, UAE arbitration influence, FMC guidance on fuel surcharges, and the Jones Act waiver debate.

News & Opinion has commentary on Strait of Hormuz routing risks, safe‑port and force majeure analysis, guidance on salvage and casualty reporting, and contract strategy amid Middle Eastern tensions.

Case Law

Federal Court Dismisses ILA suit out of Virginia: No Contract Violations (MBLB)

Monford Management Ltd (the owners of the KIVELI) v Afina Navigation Limited (the owners of the AFINA I) [2026] EWCA Civ 251 (MFB)

Afina 1 c/w Kiveli - Court of Appeal upholds the decision of the Admiralty Court (Tatham)

Hof van Cassatie schept helderheid in de saga over de onmogelijkheid tot directe douanevertegenwoordiging in België (Quadrant Advocaaten)

LLC Eurochem North-West-2 v Tecnimont S.P.A. & MT Russia LLC (Stephenson Harwood)

URE Energy Limited v Notting Hill Genesis (Haynes Boone)

High Seas Seizure: U.S. Captures Dark Tanker in Enforcement of Sanctions (MBLB)

Regulatory

EU Industrial Maritime Strategy and EU Ports Strategy: Opportunities and Regulatory Exposure for Maritime and Infrastructure Investors (K&L Gates)

Ocean Carriers Begin Adding Fuel Surcharges Amid Middle East Disruptions: FMC Regulations Require Notifications and Phased Implementation (Husch Blackwell)

Trump Administration Provides “Sovereign Backstop” Reinsurance Facility for Persian Gulf Maritime Shipping (Clark Hill)

The 45-Day Ceiling: Why Proposed Jones Waivers Offer Little Relief to Gulf Supply Shocks (MMWR)

Jones Act Waivers - Again (Winston Strawn)

Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Legal Risks for Shipowners, Charterers and Insurers under UAE Maritime Law (Hadef)

High seas, no law: Combat legal outside 12 nm - Maritime law expert (Daily Mirror)

News and Opinion

‘End of Voyage’ declarations: a growing trend (Hill Dickinson)

Scrubber risks: Lessons from six years of claims (Gard)

Conflict Premium: Insurance and Supply Chains During the Iran War (Part 1) (Pillsbury)

Biofuels in commercial shipping: navigating the legal and contractual considerations (NorthStandard)

2026 Outlook for Maritime Biofuels (Bracewell)

UAE’s Role in International Arbitration: Understanding a Rapidly Growing Influence (HAS Law)

UNCITRAL’s Negotiable Cargo Document: Revolutionary or Just Another Layer? (Caland)

Tensions in the Persian Gulf: When do charterers or owners have the right to walk away? (ERG)

‘Don’t be that guy’ by ordering Gulf danger voyages, charterers warned (Lloyd’s List)

Beyond Force Majeure: When Does a Conflict Actually “Frustrate” a Contract, What Is My Strategy, and What Questions Should I Ask? (Squire Patton Boggs)

Sexually Assaulted at Sea: What to Do Next (Justice 4 Mariners)

Breakaway barge case illustrates the operation of marine salvage law (Workboat)

What Is the Jones Act and How Would Waiving It Help Lower Oil Prices? (Barron’s)

Blank Rome Recognized in China Business Law Journal’s 2025 Deals of the Year (Blank Rome)

Refusing Transit Through the Strait of Hormuz (Squire Patton Boggs)

This edition brings case law includes updates on refund guarantees, misdelivery and causation analysis alongside news regulatory shifts: Arctic ECAs, Malaysia’s new admiralty division, Transport Canada’s expanded HNS focus, Kyrgyzstan’s Maritime Code and Ireland’s national maritime strategy.

There’s also commentary probing the current challenges in the Strait of Hormuz, charterparty war-risk dilemmas, LNG and oil market fallout, sanction and insurance exposures, and practical voyage risk mitigation strategies for heavy weather.

Case Law

Provision of refund guarantee in shipbuilding contract held to be innominate term (Hill Dickinson)

Ningbo Nanheng Import and Export Co. Ltd. v. Shinhan Bank Co. (2021) Zhe Min Zhong No. 156 [PRC] (JTN)

More than Maduro: the significance of CITGO v Ascot (Chalos & Co)

Misdelivery without bills: When release instructions are not conversion – Valency International Pte Ltd v. JSW International Tradecorp Pte Ltd (Reed Smith)

The Middle East Conflict: In the Grip of the Peril? (Wikborg Rein)

Regulation

Canadian Arctic and Norwegian Sea ECAs enter into force (Riviera Media)

International commercial and admiralty division launched in Malaysia to expedite dispute resolution (The Malaysian Reserve)

Nigerian Navy backs ELRA to enforce Equipment Leasing Act (Guardian)

New National Maritime Security Strategy – Protecting Ireland’s Seas (Byrne, Wallace, Shields)

Transport Canada Signals Expanded Regulatory Focus on Hazardous and Noxious Substances in Renewed Marine Emergency Services Consultations (McMillan)

Kyrgyzstan prepares Maritime Code: Kyrgyz-flagged fleet and vessel registry (24 KG)

White House releases America’s Maritime Action Plan (Norton Rose)

News & Opinion

Persian Gulf Hostilities - Charterparty Issues (NorthStandard)

Suez Canal Diversions: Who Bears the Costs When Ships Reroute Around the Cape of Good Hope? (Maritime Law Blog)

US-Iran Conflict FAQs (UK Defence Club)

Strait of Hormuz and The Persian Gulf: Legal implications (Thommesen)

Heavy weather at sea: managing risks on passage (Gard)

India’s Legal Vulnerability in Light of Strait of Hormuz Closure (Fox Mandal)

Is the Strait of Hormuz really closed? (Seatrade)

Refusing Transit Through the Strait of Hormuz War Risks Clauses and Owners’ Rights to Refuse Unlawful Orders (Squire Patton Boggs)

Conflict in the Gulf: Impact on Global Oil and LNG Markets (Vinson & Elkins)

Willemijn Putz joins Caland (Caland)

U.S. Government Steps into War Risk Market to Offset Middle East Disruptions (Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads )

UK fatalities at sea: Coroner’s Court, crisis response, and lessons for owners, charterers and operators in high-risk regions (Stephenson Harwood)

Mideast War Tests LNG Contracts (Vinson & Elkins)

Strait of Hormuz – its closure and its implications (WFW)

Can Iran close the Straits of Hormuz – and what happens if they do? (BDM)

Force Majeure and Material Adverse Change – A Reminder of the Key Points (Squire Patton Boggs)

Strait of Hormuz closure (Hill Dickinson)

US/Israeli military intervention in Iran: Charterparty implications (Skuld)

The Domino Effect of the Strait of Hormuz – Legal Considerations for Global Trade and Energy Security (Ersoy Bilgehan)

Helmsman: Legal perspectives on navigating sanction risks in maritime deals (Manifold Times)

Commercial and Supply Chain Implications of the Gulf Conflict: Shipping, Contracts, and Insurance (Gibson Dunn)

Maritime security update: Gulf Region / Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea (Skuld)

USA/Israel and Iran Conflict: Effect on trade contracts (Floyd Zadkovich)

The Middle East conflict: Contractual and insurance implications (Gard)

War clauses – the US-Iran conflict (Birketts)

News & Opinion features practitioner analysis on salvage and LOF revisions, marine insurance conflicts and cyber/physical security in ports, plus industry commentary on MLC milestones, the shadow-fleet, and several Partner moves.

Case Law

Court of Appeal finds no manifest error in expert determination - WH Holdings Ltd -v- London Stadium LLP (Hill Dickinson)

Case Update – Mercuria Energy Trading SA v ONEX DMCC [2026] EHWC 130 (Comm) (Mills & Co)

Is a foreign judgment debt a debt? Servis-Terminal LLC v Drelle [2025] EWCA Civ 62 (20 Essex)

Without Limits? The M/V Dali Court Addresses the Potential Extension of the Limitation of Liability Act to Vessel Managers (Squire Patton Boggs)

Recent case law developments and regulatory updates in the UAE (Stephenson Harwood)

Is this maritime court case a model of China’s anti-sanctions law in action? (South China Morning Post)

Decommissioning in Focus: The Northern Endeavour Tow to Singapore (Wotton Kearney)

Demise of Fu Jing 001: Marine insurance liability and risk control (Chinese Business Law Journal)

Oceanus Capital SARL v Lloyd’s Insurance Company SA (Re M/V Vyssos) (MFB)

Regulation

All Foreign-Built Vessels at Risk? New U.S. Port Fee Proposals (HFW)

Sanctions: seizure of Russian-flagged tanker demonstrates major shift in enforcement (International Bar Association)

Paradigm Shift in Environmental Review of Deepwater Ports 50 Years in the Making (K&L Gates)

Navigating shipping in 2026: sanctions, trade wars and regulatory fragmentation (Thommessen)

The Beijing Convention and South Africa: A Question of Recognition, Not Reform (Clyde & Co)

Scotland’s ports can power the economy if ambition is matched by action (Addleshaw Goddard)

LOF revisited: What the revised LMA5654A means for owners, insurers and salvage decisions (DWF)

The Latest Developments in BIMCO: SUPERMAN 2025 and ASBATANKVOY 2025 (Mordiglia)

20 years of MLC: How proud should shipping be of its unique treaty? (Lloyd’s List)

UK Identifies Legal Route for Military Action Against “Shadow Fleet” Vessels (Shearwater Law)

From physical security to cyber resilience: Reassessing the ISPS code and port governance in South Africa (Clyde & Co)

News & Opinion

DWF in Hamburg: A fresh perspective (DWF)

When Policies Collide – Untangling “Other Insurance” Clauses (Fenchurch Law)

DAC Beachcroft adds experienced shipping lawyer Langton from LA Marine (DAC Beachcroft)