Paul Collier

Full Profile

Paul is a Partner in the Energy, Marine and Natural Resources Department at Clyde & Co, and has been at the firm since 2010. Paul spent 9 years in Clyde’s & Co’s London office before relocating to Clyde & Co's Singapore office in 2019.

Paul’s practice focuses on shipping and international trade. Paul advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters relating to charterparties, shipbuilding and offshore construction, bunkering and fuel, commodity sale contracts and bills of lading. Paul acts for a wide range of clients, including shipowners, shipyards, charterers, bunker traders, commodity traders and P&I Clubs.

Paul is experienced in advising on complex and high value disputes under shipbuilding contracts, including in relation to termination, delay and warranty claims, and was part of the Clyde & Co team which successfully represented the shipyard in the Star Polaris, the leading recent case on consequential loss.

Paul also has significant expertise in relation to bunkering and fuel matters, particularly relating to fuel quality, and has written several articles on this topic (see insights) and moderated and participated in industry panels.

Paul has also advised on several LNG matters, including relation to shipbuilding, FLNG, long term time charters and MSPAs.

Paul also assists clients on issues relating to decarbonisation, including alternative fuels, CII, EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime, including by drafting bespoke contractual provisions addressing these issues.

Paul is an experienced lawyer in respect of dispute resolution, having handled numerous disputes in the LMAA, LCIA, ICC, SIAC, SCMA and English High Court.

In addition to advising on disputes, Paul also advises on non-contentious and transactional issues, particularly relating to the drafting and wording of contracts.

Paul also has experience of working in house and recognises the importance of providing commercial advice, having been on secondment to the FD&D department of a leading International Group P&I Club and the maritime team of a leading global resource company.

Experience

• Star Polaris: acting for the shipyard in a leading case on warranty clauses in shipbuilding contracts and claims for consequential loss
• Acting for a Korean shipyard in arbitration proceedings following the termination of two shipbuilding contracts by the buyers
• Advising a Korean shipyard on warranty claims by the buyers of a series of LNG vessels
• Advising shipyards and buyers on refund guarantees and payment guarantees for shipbuilding contracts
• Advising bunker suppliers, vessel owners and time charterers on bunker quality claims
• Assisting bunker suppliers with recovery for non-payment, including advising on maritime liens and vessel arrests
• Advising on issues relating to decarbonisation, including CII, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and alternative fuels
• Advising on a wide range of charterparty disputes and the wording of long term time charters
• Advising on and negotiating LNG time charterparties, LNG shipbuilding contracts and LNG MSPAs