Missile attack or suicide boat? Claim and counter claim by both sides in Saudi Arabian warship attack in the Red Sea

Members are advised of the UK MTO advisory published yesterday concerning the attack in the Red Sea.

• News story
• Security
• Red Sea

Precautionary advice for ships in the vicinity of Southern Red Sea

BIMCO would like to remind all members of the need to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity to UKMTO when transitting through the southern Red Sea in the area of Bab el Mandeb.

• News story
• Security
• Red Sea

Russian ice classification

Explaining the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping's criteria for ice class required for ships navigating the Northern Sea Route. 

• Ice information

Industry Releasable Threat Assessment

This document provides updated information on a potential threat from unmanned skiffs, which could affect merchant ships in the Red Sea, off Yemen.

• Information
• Security
• Piracy
• Industry Releasable Threat
• Yemen, Republic of
• Somalia
• Red Sea
• Gulf of Aden

Ted Graham

Ted joined Ince & Co as a trainee solicitor in September 1994 and in the early years he was involved in a lot of casualty investigations, including trips to Lebanon, Egypt and Montenegro. He left Ince in 2001 in order to work for a P&I correspondent (Ausship) in Sydney where he was lucky enough to race a 16’ skiff on the harbour for two seasons. He then returned to London, re-joined Ince, spent 6 months on a secondment to Gard’s FD&D team in London, then became a partner in 2005. During this period he specialised in dry shipping and international trade. He has spoken at a number of headline industry events, including the Gard summer seminar. Ted retired from Ince & Co in September 2018.

Christopher Rex

Christopher Rex is Head of Innovation & Research at Danish Ship Finance. He pioneered shipping research by focusing on the long-term implications of megatrends like digitalization, ageing global consumers and the electrification of the global energy system on the shipping industry. In recent years he has included perspectives on business model innovation, the circular economy and sustainability to help customers navigate the emerging transformation of the shipping industry. He is behind the widely recognized report “Shipping Market Review” which Danish Ship Finance has published bi-annually since 2004. Externally he represents Danish Ship Finance as a frequent speaker at international conferences such as Global Maritime Forum, Marine Money, CMA and Nor-Shipping. Christopher holds a master degree in Economics from Copenhagen University, but has studied at universities in Switzerland, Singapore, UK, China and the US. Most recently he attended Singularity University’s executive program.

Geoffrey Conlin

Geoffrey Conlin is a partner with Holman Fenwick Willan based in the Sao Paulo office. He acts mainly for international insurers, reinsurers and brokers based in London and overseas. Geoffrey specializes in resolving complex, cross border claims arising from energy (onshore and offshore), property, casualty and marine risks. He has extensive experience in Ports & Terminals insurance and reinsurance. Geoffrey has acted on cases in most jurisdictions in Latin America. He also has experience advising on policy wordings and coordinating the licensing of reinsurance companies in the Latin American region. Geoffrey is a member of the British Insurance Law Association and is recommended in the Chambers Latin America 2014 and 2015 directories, with clients highlighting his "very direct knowledge and understanding of the local markets besides all the insurance coverage issues" and "his good feel for what clients need during insurance and reinsurance disputes". He is also recommended in Who's Who Legal: Brazil 2014. Geoffrey is a regular contributor to market publications and has delivered presentations on insurance and reinsurance in Latin America and in the UK. Geoffrey is qualified in England and Wales. 

Chris Garley

Chris joined HFW in 2008 and, after training for a period in Hong Kong, qualified into HFW’s London Shipping Litigation team in 2010, advising on both “wet” and “dry” disputes. His primary focus is on issues arising from marine casualties including collisions, fires and groundings. In recent years, Chris has been heavily involved in a number of high profile containership casualties arising from carriage of declared and undeclared dangerous goods. In doing so, he has acted for Owners and also for Charterers advising on all aspects of the casualty response including issues including of limitation of liability, jurisdiction, salvage and general average as well as the underlying liabilities, both in tort and related contracts of carriage/VSA/slot charter arrangements, including unseaworthiness and unsafe port claims. In 2016 Chris increased his “dry” experience by completing a secondment to the legal department of a major German power company based in the UK, advising the freight trading and chartering operations desks. During that period he advised on a range of issues from the initial chartering process, through to speed and performance claims, bill of lading disputes, sales contracts, letters of indemnity, and off-spec cargo claims. Christopher is qualified in England and Wales.

Carl-Johan Garsten

Carl is Managing Director, Marine Bunker Exchange (MABUX) AB. He is a Master Mariner by profession and after his graduation he joined the Military Academy, in Sweden and became 1966 Navy Officer in the Reserve. After a number of years at sea, Carl returned to University for more studies, and in 1974, he graduated from the University of Lund in Sweden with a Bachelor of Economics degree. Carl worked as deck officer and as Captain in the Swedish merchant navy. After various educations he began work ashore 1975 as Shipping Manager for the trading company Joint Trawlers. Carl started his own trading company 1979 in shipping, but after 10 years left and moved to West Africa. From 1988 until 1993 was engaged in transportation, and was hired by Sentram Ferry Service in Dakar, Senegal as President Director General. The ferry company was engaged in ferry service along the West African coast. In 1994 he returned to Europe and was hired as Managing Director of the newly started independent oil company, High Sea Services, specialising in high sea bunkering. The year 2002 Carl founded the service company Marine Bunker Exchange (MABUX) AB, designed to service the marine bunker industry with necessary tools like bunker price publications world-wide, and Carl is still very much active in the same field, inventing safer and better ways of determine bunker indications.

Olivia Watkins

Olivia Watkins oversees the Cargo valuation department of the analyst team. Olivia works closely with the Analyst, Research and Development departments of VesselsValue helping to expand the number of vessel types covered and the development and maintenance of new and existing products. Based in London, Olivia is in the middle of market information and intelligence, analysing the S&P, NB and demolition market for Bulkers, Tankers, Containers and Gas.  Prior to joining VesselsValue as a Cargo analyst, Olivia attended Southampton University graduating with a BSc in Oceanography.