Two senior arbitrators Mr Prem Gurbani and Mr Andrew Moran QC spoke on maritime arbitration and their experiences, to a full audience of practitioners and other arbitrators. The session was chaired by Mr Lawrence Teh, Senior Partner at Dentons Rodyk.
Mr Moran QC discussed the new LMAA Terms, explaining the rationale behind the changes and how some reflected changes in attitude in London maritime arbitration. He also took the audience through a comparison with the present SCMA Rules. At the end of his section, Mr Moran QC revealed that he was to chair the SCMA Procedure Committee looking into potential revisions to the SCMA Rules.
Mr Gurbani provided an overview of the differences arbitrating ad hoc, under the SIAC Rules (2016), and the SCMA Rules (2015). Points that stood out included the availability of small claims procedures under the SCMA Rules, and emergency arbitrator procedures under the SIAC Rules. There was brief mention of instances where a party’s arbitrator nomination is not accepted by the SIAC – for example where the nominee already has a heavy caseload.

The seminar on “Focus on Commodities, Minerals and Energy Arbitration was held on 26 July 2018 at The Central (Clarke Quay). The opening remarks were given by Mr Andrew Pullen, a seasoned barrister at Fountain Court Chambers. This was followed by a panel discussion by Mr Joseph Lopez, Partner in Joseph Lopez LLC, and Mr Ben Lawson, Chief Operating Officer of PT. Sanaman Coal International.
The panel discussion was extremely insightful for practitioners and clients alike. Mr Lopez and Mr Lawson both boast an impressive CV with vast experience in the coal and mining industry, and are extremely knowledgeable in their respective practices. They were thus able to provide the audience with invaluable practical pointers on the issues frequently faced in commodities, minerals and energy arbitrations. The panellists’ use of practical illustrations was also extremely helpful in helping to elucidate more complex points.