The Admiralty Newsletter - 12 May 2026
A weekly briefing featuring insights from shipping's leading lawyers covering regulatory updates, emerging risks, and the practical implications of new case law.
In this week’s edition we’ll be covering English-law commentary on carriers’ burdens under the Hague/Hague-Visby Rules after Volcafe; the continuing difficulty of section 68 Arbitration Act challenges; as well as practical demurrage lessons where an invalid NOR can prevent laytime from starting, and the perils of filing too quickly.
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)
News & Opinion
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)
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)