07 October 2019
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.
25 July 2019
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.
26 July 2019
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.
07 October 2019
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.
05 November 2019
Mark is Senior Associate at Stephenson Harwood, Dubai. He is a skilled litigator with extensive experience in shipping, commodities and trade finance disputes. Having trained in London and practiced there for the first five years of his career, Mark moved to Dubai in 2017 in order to focus on building the Firm’s shipping and commodities practice in the UAE. He continues to be heavily involved in arbitration and Court cases in England for clients based the Middle East whilst also becoming a specialist in matters before the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts and arbitrations seated in the UAE.
He has acted for a cornucopia of clients, ranging from oil majors, state-owned oil companies, trading houses, smaller independent commodities traders, shipowners, hedge-funds and banks. The majority of those matters have been arbitrations in the major shipping and commodities forums, including the LMAA, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC GAFTA, FOSFA, ICC, UNCITRAL, SIAC, HKIAC and the first case before the newly formed Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC). The disputes have ranged from modest demurrage disputes to oil and gas disputes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His reported Court cases in England include H&CS v RBRG Trading, Petrosaudi Oil Services v Novo Banco & Ors and Integral Petroleum SA v Perogat FZE & Ors. In Dubai he has recently acted in one of the leading cases on the enforcement of foreign judgments in the DIFC - Essar Global Fund Limited v Barclays Bank PLC & Ors.
Mark has also undertaken a number of secondments with both trading houses and trade finance banks, which has led to him being involved in non-contentious work such as advising on the structuring of trade finance facilities and “repo” sale contracts.
10 June 2019
London: Friday, 7 June 2019. Members of the shipping community, Flag States and Agencies from Gulf of Guinea gathered at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for a day-long symposium on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea. The event, co-sponsored by BIMCO, IMCA, ICS, ITF and OCIMF, featured speakers from regional maritime agencies as well as shipping officials, academics and military staff. The shipping industry, along with seafarer groups, organized the event to highlight the continuing danger to seafarers operating in the Gulf of Guinea.
24 April 2015
BIMCO has stated today that it appreciates the new efforts by EU leaders to reduce increasing reliance on merchant shipping to rescue the growing numbers of distressed migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
11 September 2017
BIMCO has developed new guidance for seafarers on the safe launching and recovery of lifeboats using fall preventer devices (FPDs), to reduce the number of seafarer fatalities and injuries.
25 January 2018
In response to the threats arising from the conflict in Yemen, BIMCO, ICS and INTERTANKO have published interim guidance on maritime security in the southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb. Shipowners and operators should be aware of new threat patterns in the area.
10 October 2016
The main exporters of thermal coal for coal- fired power plants to the United Kingdom (UK) have experienced a heavy decline in seaborne cargo volumes in 2016. This comes as a result of the UK starting a concerning trend for the dry bulk shipping industry, by close to doubling its Carbon Price Floor (CPF).
