The Admiralty Newsletter - 19 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 Europe, fresh attention has fallen on cross-border interim measures, while the EU’s latest Russia package tightens opens a narrow route for recycling sanctioned tonnage.
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.
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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)
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)