Arbitration

Arbitration is private, binding dispute resolution by a tribunal the parties choose, the default forum in charterparties and shipbuilding contracts. A maritime arbitration clause names the seat, the rules, and the appointing body: the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration, the Society of Maritime Arbitrators in New York, the ICC, or the HKIAC. London seats run under the Arbitration Act 1996 and the LMAA Terms 2021, with limited appeal on a point of law under section 69. Awards enforce across borders through the 1958 New York Convention, which 170-plus states have ratified, a reach no national court judgment matches.