Haiwen & Partners LLP Secures Major Victory in Maritime Arbitration

海问律师事务所欣然宣布，成功代表一家作为租船人的加拿大公司，在一宗根据《香港海事仲裁协会2021年仲裁规则》进行的复杂且高价值的海事仲裁中取得全面胜诉。

该争议源于一份受英国法律管辖的航次租船合同，涉及从中国运送大型、定制的项目货物至欧洲。由于承运船舶因一系列严重的港口国监督（PSC）缺陷在香港被扣留，货物最终未能交付，严重影响了租船人参与一项时间紧迫的造船项目的进程。

The dispute arose from a voyage charterparty governed by English law, concerning the carriage of large, bespoke project cargo from China to Europe. After the carrying vessel was detained in Hong Kong due to a series of serious Port State Control (PSC) deficiencies, the cargo was never delivered, causing significant disruption to the charterer’s participation in a time-critical shipbuilding project.

本案双方共同指定的仲裁员为一位常驻香港、经验丰富且广受认可的海事法律专家。他裁定涉案船舶在开航时并不适航，且船东未能履行个人谨慎义务，以确保船舶配员、设备和补给的充分。仲裁员还认定船东违反了合同中合理迅速完成航程及不得无正当理由偏航的默示义务。

The sole arbitrator, who was jointly appointed by the parties, is an experienced and well-regarded maritime practitioner based in Hong Kong, found that the vessel was unseaworthy at the time of departure and that the owners had failed to exercise personal due diligence to ensure the vessel was properly manned, equipped, and supplied. The arbitrator also held that the owners breached implied contractual obligations to perform the voyage with reasonable despatch and to avoid unjustifiable deviation.

在裁决中，仲裁员判令船东承担包括损害赔偿、利息和费用在内的全部责任，裁决总金额超过150万美元。裁决支持租船人因采购替代货物所支出的全部费用，尽管该费用明显高于原始成本，同时还包括利息和大部分法律及仲裁费用。仲裁员认可该批货物为专门定制，且对于整个船舶建造进度至关重要，在卸货港没有可行的替代品。因此，仲裁员突破了通常基于市场价值的赔偿方式，采纳了更贴合项目实际情况的损失评估方法。

In a final award, the arbitrator held the owners liable for substantial damages, interest, and costs, with the total award exceeding US$1.5 million. It awarded full compensation for the procurement of replacement cargo, despite significantly higher costs than the original, along with interest and a high proportion of legal and arbitral costs. The arbitrator accepted that the cargo was uniquely manufactured and essential to a larger construction schedule, with no viable substitute available at the discharge port. As a result, the arbitrator departed from the typical market-based approach to damages and adopted a broader, project-sensitive assessment of loss.

该裁决的重要性不仅在于金额，更在于其所带来的法律意义。仲裁员驳回了船东试图以其为租船合同链中作为转租船东（或称“二船东”）身份限制责任的抗辩，明确裁定在上游船东和技术管理人出现失误并导致船舶被扣留、无法完成航程的情况下，转租船东亦可被直接追责，宛如他们是船主一般。此外，该裁决亦遵从了英国法院在 The Sur [2019] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 527 一案的立场，确认了偏航应被视为一个独立的法律范畴，并适用因历史与商业原因发展出的特别法律规则。

This outcome is significant not only for the size of the award, but for its broader legal implications. The arbitrator rejected attempts by the owners to limit liability on the basis of their status as disponent owners within a charterparty chain. The award reaffirms that disponent owners can be held directly responsible for failures of upstream owners and technical managers, as if they were the shipowners, especially where such failures result in detentions that frustrate the underlying commercial purpose of a voyage. Further, the award follows the English Court’s decision in The Sur [2019] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 527 and confirms that deviation constitutes a sui generis body of legal authority, with special rules derived from historical and commercial reasons. 

“我们非常自豪能够取得这一裁决结果，它不仅充分维护了客户的合法权益，也为海事仲裁法律的发展作出贡献”，海问律师事务所合伙人刘洋表示。“本案凸显了船舶适航性、尽职义务以及在航次租船合同中履约责任的重要性，尤其是在涉及项目货物和紧迫交付时间表的情形下。”

“We are proud to have secured a result that not only vindicates our client’s position but also contributes to the development of maritime arbitration jurisprudence,” said Edward Liu, Partner at Haiwen & Partners LLP. “This case reinforces the importance of vessel suitability, due diligence, and accountability in the performance of voyage charterparties, particularly where project cargo and tight delivery schedules are involved.”