Whatever the requirement, we have “without doubt the pre-eminent cargo practice in the UK”, with probably more experience of pursuing claims against carriers and vessels than any other law firm in the world. Clyde & Co’s cargo recovery practice is and always has been at the very core of the firm.
Clients need us to have an early understanding of the merits of the case. We involve ourselves from the outset, before subrogation, to give them the initiative to obtain a successful recovery. We use the most appropriate method to achieve the best commercial result for our client, whether by:
- Negotiation of claims
- Alternative dispute resolution (including mediation)
- London Maritime arbitration
- Commercial Court litigation
Negotiation is our preferred method. Our aim is to get the maximum recovery in the shortest time at the lowest cost.
Clients include an ever-increasing number of cargo insurers, many of whom are located in North East Asia and particularly in Japan and Korea. We also have a strong oil cargo practice with oil majors and other oil trading companies.
The “leading light in cargo underwriting, insurance and related casualty matters”, we continue to be involved in a large number of cutting-edge cases. We were in both the ‘STARSIN’ and ‘RAFAELLA S’ litigation, which in each case led to seminal House of Lords judgments respectively in 2004 and 2005; 2006 saw our involvement in the ‘HYUNDAI FORTUNE’, which is likely to prove to be the largest ever cargo loss as a result of one maritime casualty. In early 2007 we acted for cargo insurers in respect of cargo worth over US$65 million on board the ‘MSC NAPOLI', beached off the coast of Devon.