The Admiralty Newsletter - 16 February 2026
Expert analyses of maritime law, regulatory developments, and landmark cases delivered to your inbox every week.
In this week’s edition we review the Great Lakes decision’s implications for marine insurance, recent Admiralty and Supreme Court rulings on fuel sampling and standards of negligence, and several arbitration and anti‑suit injunction developments affecting dispute strategy.
On the regulatory front we cover national and international measures—from Belgium’s draft powers to board “shadow fleet” vessels and the FuelEU regime’s commercial impact, to the Hong Kong and UN Conventions coming into force and new reporting obligations for lost containers.
All that as well as space‑weather impacts on navigation, growing concerns over vessel abandonment, the financial exposure of underwriters to a potential Russia crude ban, and the human and policy consequences of inadequate seafarer protection.
Index
Case Law
Navigating change: How the Great Lakes decision is redefining marine insurance (Markel)
CI v IU: Hong Kong Court considers appealability of domestic and foreign laws under Hong Kong seated arbitration (UK Defence Club)
Confusion Clause in reinsurance agreements designed to avoid confusion over applicable dispute resolution forum (Hill Dickinson)
The Supreme Court’s Ruling on Fuel Sampling Procedures (Mordiglia)
Incompetent or Negligent? Admiralty Court Sets the Bar High (Steamship P&I Club)
The Heroic Idun – The Nordic Plan – Can anyone be certain about an “overriding political objective” (Tatham & Co)
Navigating Troubled Waters – Intersection Between The Laws Of Insolvency And Admiralty (Stephenson Harwood)
Too little, too late: Reservation of rights too late to be effective (Norton Rose)
Commodity trader successful in fraudulent nickel trade claims (Hill Dickinson)
Vexatious or oppressive? Testing sanctions risk as a factor for an anti-suit injunction (Stephenson Harwood)
Regulation
Belgium working on laws to allow shadow fleet vessels to be boarded (VRT)
Lost Containers at Sea: The New Reporting Obligation (Mordiglia)
Trump Administration Issues Maritime Action Plan (Winston & Strawn)
No time for ‘coasting’ as FuelEU regime becomes balance sheet issue (TradeWinds)
UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents: focus and aims (Hill Dickinson)
Hong Kong Convention Enters into Force for Cyprus-Flagged Ships: Practical Implications for Shipowners and Managers (Harris Kyriakides)
News & Opinion
Solar storms at sea: Why space weather matters for shipping (Gard P&I Club)
Russia crude ban would cost marine underwriters hundreds of millions of dollars (Lloyd’s List)
Legislative Betrayal at Sea: Kenya’s Hollow Law Leaves Abandoned Seafarers Adrift (The Coast)
Shipping needs to fix its flaws or vessel abandonment will increase, says SRI (Ship Management International)