Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Maritime Arbitration, Law and BIMCO Clauses glossary

The arbitration and shipping-law vocabulary: actio in rem and in personam, ad hoc and institutional arbitration, acceptance-of-service clauses, the Marine Insurance Act on abandonment, and the BIMCO standard clauses. Grounds each term in the admiralty procedure or the contractual clause it belongs to.

504 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 1 of 3).

A

Abandonment: act by which an insured cedes proprietary rights in the insured property to underwriters as a precondition for claiming a constructive total loss.
Acceptance of Service Clause: A charterparty or contract provision nominating an agent within the chosen jurisdiction empowered to receive originating process on behalf of a foreign party.
Actio in Personam: An admiralty action brought against a named defendant personally rather than against a vessel or other maritime property.
Actio in Rem: An admiralty action brought directly against the ship, cargo, or freight as the defendant res, permitting arrest as security.
Ad Hoc Arbitration: A reference conducted outside any institutional rules, with procedure agreed by the parties or directed by the tribunal under the curial law.
Addendum: A formal written amendment to a fixture recap or charterparty, signed by both principals or brokers acting under authority.
Adjudicator: An individual appointed under a dispute resolution clause to render a binding interim decision, distinct from an arbitrator under most maritime contracts.
Admiralty Court (England and Wales): A specialist division of the King's Bench Division of the High Court hearing in rem and in personam maritime claims under the Senior Courts Act 1981.
Admiralty Jurisdiction: Court jurisdiction over maritime claims, often in rem.
Admiralty Marshal: The officer of the English Admiralty Court responsible for executing arrest warrants, taking custody of arrested property, and conducting judicial sales.
Admiralty Practice Direction 61: The Civil Procedure Rules supplement governing in rem claims, arrest, caution against arrest, and judicial sales in the English Admiralty Court.
Affreightment Contract: An agreement by which a carrier undertakes to transport goods by sea for freight, embracing both charterparties and bills of lading.
Agency Clause: A charterparty term identifying the party with authority to appoint port agents and allocating the cost of agency services.
All Time Saved: A laytime expression crediting the charterer with time saved between completion of cargo operations and expiry of permitted laytime.
Always accessible: Berth warranty that the vessel can reach the berth at any time.
Always afloat: Charter requirement that the vessel must remain afloat at all states of the tide.
Amended LOF: A Lloyd's Open Form salvage agreement modified by hand to alter the SCOPIC or arbitration provisions before signature.
American Arbitration Association: A private dispute resolution institution whose Commercial Arbitration Rules are occasionally selected in maritime contracts involving US parties.
Anti-Suit Injunction: An order of an arbitral tribunal or supervisory court restraining a party from commencing or continuing foreign proceedings in breach of an arbitration agreement.
Anti-Technicality Clause: Time charter provision requiring the owner to warn the charterer before withdrawing the vessel for non-payment of hire.
Apparent Good Order and Condition: The bill of lading representation by the master regarding the external condition of cargo at shipment, binding the carrier in the hands of a transferee.
Appeal on a Point of Law: A challenge to an arbitration award under section 69 of the English Arbitration Act 1996, available only with leave or agreement.
Application to Set Aside: A challenge to an award under sections 67 or 68 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 for lack of jurisdiction or serious irregularity.
Arbitral Seat: The juridical place of the arbitration, determining the curial law and the supervisory court.
Arbitration Act 1996 (England): The principal English statute governing arbitrations seated in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Arbitration Act 2025 (England): The amending statute updating the 1996 Act, including the default rule on the law governing the arbitration agreement.
Arbitration Agreement: A written agreement to submit present or future disputes to arbitration, severable from the matrix contract and governed by its own applicable law.
Arbitration Clause: Dispute resolution provision in MoA, typically LMAA, SCMA, or SMA.
Arbitration Ordinance (Cap 609): The Hong Kong statute based on the UNCITRAL Model Law governing domestic and international arbitrations seated in Hong Kong.
Arbitration Rules of the SMA: The procedural rules of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators in New York, providing for three-member panels and reasoned awards.
Arbitrator: A neutral appointed by the parties or an institution to determine a dispute by binding award under the agreed rules and curial law.
Arrest Convention 1952: The International Convention Relating to the Arrest of Sea-Going Ships, listing the maritime claims giving rise to a right of arrest.
Arrest Convention 1999: The International Convention on Arrest of Ships, expanding the list of maritime claims and addressing rearrest and multiple arrest.
Asbatankvoy: Standard tanker voyage charter party of the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents.
Ascertainment of Damages: The arbitral or judicial process of quantifying recoverable loss following a finding of liability.
Assignment Clause: A charterparty provision regulating the transfer of contractual rights or benefits to a third party.
Associated Ship: A vessel under common ownership or control with the wrongdoing ship, against which arrest may be permitted under the 1999 Arrest Convention and some national laws.
Athens Convention 1974: The Convention Relating to the Carriage of Passengers and Their Luggage by Sea, establishing carrier liability limits for passenger claims.
Athens Convention 2002 Protocol (PAL): The Protocol updating the 1974 Convention with strict liability for shipping incidents and increased SDR limits.
Attachment: the moment risk under a policy commences.
Award: The final or partial decision of an arbitral tribunal disposing of issues referred to it.
Award on Agreed Terms: A consent award embodying a settlement reached by the parties during the reference.

B

Back-to-Back Clause: A subcharter provision incorporating the head charter terms so that obligations and liabilities pass through unchanged.
Bailment on Terms: The relationship by which a carrier holds goods for the cargo interest, subject to the terms of the contract of carriage.
Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO): Trade association founded 1905 in Copenhagen.
Baltime 1939: A classic BIMCO time charterparty for general trade, revised in 2001.
Baltime 2001: The current revision of the Baltime time charterparty form.
Bareboat Charter: Demise charter under which the charterer becomes disponent owner.
BARECON 2017: BIMCO standard bareboat charter party.
Barecon 89: The earlier BIMCO bareboat charter superseded by Barecon 2001 and 2017.
Bargehire 2008: The BIMCO standard bareboat charter for barges.
Berth charter: Voyage charter where laytime starts when the vessel is at berth.
Bifurcation: The procedural ordering by a tribunal of liability and quantum, or jurisdiction and merits, as separate phases of the reference.
Bill of Lading Act 1855: The English statute permitting transfer of rights of suit on a bill of lading, superseded by COGSA 1992.
BIMCO CII Operations Clause 2022: A time charter clause allocating responsibility for vessel performance under the IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator.
BIMCO CONWARTIME 2013: The BIMCO war risks clause for time charters providing rights to refuse trading to war risk areas.
BIMCO Cyber Security Clause 2019: Standard cyber-risk-allocation charterparty clause.
BIMCO Designated Entities Clause 2022: A sanctions-related clause prohibiting employment or trade involving entities designated under specified regimes.
BIMCO ETS Allowance Clause 2022: A time charter clause allocating the cost and surrender of European Union Emissions Trading System allowances.
BIMCO Hull Fouling Clause 2013: A time charter clause addressing responsibility and costs of biofouling caused by extended idle periods at warm-water anchorages.
BIMCO Infectious or Contagious Diseases Clause 2015: A clause permitting refusal of orders to ports affected by epidemics and allocating related costs.
BIMCO Piracy Clause 2013: A clause addressing rights, costs, and insurance for transits of piracy risk areas under time and voyage charters.
BIMCO Quarantine Clause 2022: A clause regulating the consequences of quarantine restrictions imposed at ports of call.
BIMCO Sanctions Clause for Time Charter Parties 2020: A clause requiring neither party to perform any act inconsistent with applicable sanctions regimes.
BIMCO VOYWAR 2013: The BIMCO war risks clause for voyage charters.
Bottomry bond: Historic security where a ship was pledged for a voyage loan.
BPTIME 3: BP time charter party for tankers, third edition.
BPVoy 4: The British Petroleum standard voyage charterparty for crude and product tankers.
Brandt v Liverpool Contract: Implied contract doctrine arising from cargo delivery against bill of lading presentation.
Breach of Warranty of Authority: A cause of action against a broker or agent who concludes a fixture without actual authority from the principal.
Brussels Convention 1924: The International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating to Bills of Lading, embodying the Hague Rules.
Brussels Convention 1968 (Civil Jurisdiction): The European convention on jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, predecessor to the Brussels Regulation.
Brussels Convention 1971 (Visby Protocol): The protocol amending the 1924 Brussels Convention to produce the Hague-Visby Rules.
Brussels I Recast (Regulation 1215/2012): The European Union regulation on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.
Bunker Convention 2001: International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage.
Bunkers on Delivery and Redelivery: A time charter clause regulating the quantity, quality, and price of fuel transferred at the start and end of the period.

C

Cabotage Law: National regulation restricting domestic point-to-point maritime carriage to vessels of the flag state.
Cancellation Clause: A charterparty provision permitting the charterer to cancel the fixture if the vessel fails to tender notice of readiness by the cancelling date.
Cancelling date: Latest date by which the vessel must tender notice of readiness, often referred to as cancelling.
Cargo Claim: A claim by the bill of lading holder against the carrier for loss of or damage to goods carried by sea.
Cargo Hold Cleanliness Clause: A charterparty provision requiring holds to pass surveyor inspection before loading commences.
Cargo Worthiness: The aspect of seaworthiness concerned with the vessel's fitness to receive, carry, and protect the contractual cargo.
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1936 (US): The US statute giving effect to the Hague Rules to bills of lading covering carriage to or from US ports in foreign trade.
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1971 (UK): The UK statute giving effect to the Hague-Visby Rules.
Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992 (UK): The UK statute on transfer of rights of suit and obligations under bills of lading, sea waybills, and ship's delivery orders.
Caution Against Arrest: A protective entry in the English Admiralty Court registry by which a party undertakes to acknowledge service and provide security.
Caution Against Release: A registry entry preventing release of an arrested vessel without notice to the cautioner.
CENTROCON Arbitration Clause: A historic centralized London arbitration clause once standard in grain charters.
Centrocon Strike Clause: A traditional clause allocating strike risk in voyage charters.
Cesser Clause: Charterparty term ending charterer's liability after cargo loaded, against owner's lien.
Challenge of Arbitrator: An application to remove an arbitrator for justifiable doubts as to impartiality or independence.
Charter Hire: The remuneration payable to the owner under a time or bareboat charter for use of the vessel.
Charterer: Party who hires the vessel under a charter party.
Charterparty: Contract for hire of a vessel; main types are voyage, time, bareboat, and slot.
China Maritime Arbitration Commission (CMAC): The Beijing-based arbitral institution administering maritime references under its Arbitration Rules and Maritime Arbitration Rules.
Choice of Law Clause: A contractual provision designating the substantive law governing the contract.
CIF Contract: A sale contract on cost, insurance, and freight terms where the seller arranges carriage and insurance to the destination.
Civil Liability Convention 1969 (CLC): The International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, imposing strict liability on tanker owners.
Civil Liability Convention 1992 Protocol: The protocol raising limits and modernizing the 1969 CLC, in force internationally for state parties.
Civil Liability Convention 2000 Amendments: The further increase in CLC compensation limits adopted by IMO resolution.
Claim Submissions (LMAA): The numbered pleadings exchanged under the LMAA Terms 2021, replacing court-style statements of case.
Claimant: The party initiating the arbitral reference by serving a notice of arbitration.
Class Suspension Clause: A charterparty provision permitting termination or off-hire on withdrawal or suspension of classification.
Clean bill of lading: Bill issued without clausing.
Clyde & Co: An international law firm with a substantial admiralty, shipping, and insurance practice.
CMI: Comite Maritime International, NGO contributor to maritime-law unification.
CMI Rules for Electronic Bills of Lading 1990: The voluntary protocol providing a contractual framework for paperless bills of lading.
CMI/BIMCO Cyber Security Clause for Time Charters 2019: The joint clause allocating responsibility for cyber incidents under time charters.
Code de Procedure Civile (France): The French procedural code, Book IV of which contains the law of arbitration applicable to seats in France.
Cogsa 1936 (US): The US Carriage of Goods by Sea Act enacting the Hague Rules.
Cogsa 1971 (UK): The UK Carriage of Goods by Sea Act enacting the Hague-Visby Rules.
Collision Convention 1910: The Brussels Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law with Respect to Collisions Between Vessels.
Collision Regulations (COLREGs): The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, applied as a measure of nautical fault in collision actions.
Commercial Court (England and Wales): The specialist court within the King's Bench Division hearing arbitration applications and complex maritime commercial claims.
Commodity Arbitration: A reference under specialist trade rules, distinct from maritime arbitration but often linked through CIF and FOB sale contracts.
Common Carrier: Carrier offering services to the public, with strict liability at common law.
Concurrent Causes: A doctrine in marine insurance and carriage law addressing loss arising from more than one operative cause.
Conditional Appearance: An acknowledgment of service entered without submitting to jurisdiction, preserving a challenge to the court's competence.
Confidentiality of Arbitration: The doctrine, implied under English law and express under several institutional rules, restricting disclosure of materials and awards.
Conflict of Laws: The body of rules determining which substantive law governs a transaction with cross-border elements.
Congenbill 2022: The BIMCO bill of lading form for use with the Gencon voyage charterparty.
Conlinebill 2016: The BIMCO liner bill of lading form for general use in the liner trades.
Consequential Loss: Loss other than the direct, naturally arising loss, often excluded by express charterparty wording.
Consolidation of Arbitrations: The joinder of related references before a single tribunal, requiring consent under the LMAA Terms.
Constructive Total Loss: Damage such that repair cost exceeds insured value, often triggering wreck removal.
CONWARTIME 2013: BIMCO war risks clause for time charters.
Costs of the Award: The fees and expenses of the arbitrators and any administering institution.
Costs of the Reference: The legal fees and disbursements incurred in pursuing or defending the arbitration.
Counterclaim: A claim by the respondent in the same reference, treated as a separate claim subject to its own time bar.
Court of Appeal (Admiralty): The English appellate court hearing appeals from the Commercial and Admiralty Courts.
Cross-Examination in Arbitration: The oral testing of witness evidence at a merits hearing under the directions of the tribunal.
Curial Law: The law of the seat of arbitration, governing the procedure of the reference and the supervisory court.
Custom of the Port: Established local practice at a port, capable of supplementing the charterparty in matters such as laytime and notices.
Cyber Security Clause 2019 (CMI/BIMCO): The joint clause for time charters allocating cyber risk and incident response responsibilities.

D

Damages for Detention: Compensation payable for delay to the vessel after laytime has expired and demurrage is exhausted or unagreed.
Damages for Wrongful Repudiation: The owner's measure of loss where the charterer renounces a time charter, calculated on a market-replacement basis.
Daughter Ship: A vessel arrested as substitute for the offending vessel under sister-ship arrest principles.
Deck Cargo Clause: A bill of lading provision recording the parties' agreement that cargo is carried on deck at shipper's risk.
Declaration of Non-Liability: A claim form by which a putative defendant in a maritime dispute seeks a judicial finding that no liability exists.
Default Award: An award issued where one party fails to participate in the reference despite proper notice.
Demise charter: Bareboat charter.
Demise Clause: Bill of lading provision identifying the contracting carrier (relevant to The Berkshire).
Demurrage: Liquidated damages for detention of ship beyond laytime.
Deviation Clause: A bill of lading provision permitting reasonable deviations from the contractual route.
Discharge Port Clause: A voyage charter provision specifying the contractual port or range of discharge.
Disclosure (Arbitration): The procedural duty to produce documents relevant to issues in dispute, narrower than English court disclosure.
Disponent Owner: Charterer who treats the vessel as if owner for sub-letting.
Dispute Resolution Clause: The contractual provision selecting forum, governing law, and procedure for resolving disputes.
Dock Receipt: A document issued by a terminal acknowledging receipt of cargo, often a precursor to issuance of a bill of lading.
Documentary Credit Clause: A contractual term linking payment under a sale contract to presentation of conforming shipping documents.
Domicile: The legal connection of a party to a jurisdiction relevant to jurisdiction rules under Brussels I Recast and parallel regimes.
Drafting Errors in Charterparties: The principles by which tribunals construe or correct manifest mistakes in fixture recaps and addenda.
Due Diligence: Buyers' legal, technical, and commercial review before signing.
Duty of Care of Cargo: The carrier's obligation to load, handle, stow, carry, keep, care for, and discharge the goods properly and carefully.

E

Either-To-Count Clause: A laytime provision crediting time used at anchor toward laytime even where notice of readiness is not yet valid.
Election Between Remedies: The owner's choice on charterer default between withdrawal and affirmation with damages.
Electronic Bill of Lading: eBL governed by platforms such as essDOCS, Bolero, edoxOnline, and the UK Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023.
Emergency Arbitrator: A pre-tribunal appointee under certain institutional rules empowered to grant urgent interim relief.
Enforcement of Awards (New York Convention): The recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards under the 1958 New York Convention.
English Admiralty Court: The specialist court within the King's Bench Division dealing with in rem and in personam admiralty claims.
English Arbitration Act 1996: The statute consolidating the law of arbitration for seats in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Equitable Lien: A non-possessory security right recognized in equity over property, distinct from a maritime lien.
Essex Court Chambers: A leading London barristers' set with a significant international arbitration and shipping practice.
Estoppel by Bill of Lading: The principle preventing the carrier from denying statements as to the apparent order and condition of cargo against a transferee for value.
ETS Allowance Clause 2022: The BIMCO clause allocating EU Emissions Trading System compliance costs under time charters.
Evidence in Arbitration: The body of admissible material before the tribunal, governed primarily by party agreement and the IBA Rules where adopted.
Exclusion of Appeal: A contractual or institutional waiver of the right to appeal an award on points of law under section 69 of the English Arbitration Act 1996.
Exclusive Jurisdiction Clause: A contractual term submitting disputes to the exclusive jurisdiction of a designated court.
Exemplary Damages: Non-compensatory damages, rarely available in English contract claims and not recoverable in standard cargo or charterparty cases.
Existence of Arbitration Agreement: A jurisdictional question for the tribunal under section 30 of the English Arbitration Act 1996, subject to court review under section 67.
Expert Determination Clause: A dispute resolution provision referring technical questions, such as performance claims, to an expert rather than an arbitrator.
Expert Evidence in Arbitration: Opinion evidence on matters of specialist knowledge, admitted under directions of the tribunal.
Expert Witness Code of Conduct: The body of professional and procedural rules governing the duties of an expert to the tribunal.
Express Choice of Law: A contractual selection of governing law made in clear terms.

F

Failure to Proceed with Reasonable Despatch: A breach of charter where the vessel does not perform the voyage as expeditiously as reasonably possible.
FALCA: The Fast and Low Cost Arbitration procedure formerly offered by the LMAA, discontinued following revisions to the Intermediate Claims Procedure.
FD&D Cover: Freight, Demurrage and Defence cover provided by P&I clubs or specialist mutuals for legal costs in disputes excluded from P&I.
Federal Arbitration Act (9 USC): The US federal statute governing the enforcement of arbitration agreements and awards.
Federal Court Admiralty Jurisdiction (US): The jurisdiction of US district courts over maritime claims under Article III of the Constitution and 28 USC 1333.
Fenwick Elliott: A London construction and shipping law firm occasionally appearing in offshore disputes.
Final Award: Concluding salvage arbitration determination after all evidence and submissions.
Final Voyage Clause: A time charter provision regulating redelivery where the last voyage is likely to overrun the maximum charter period.
First Tier Tribunal: The arbitral panel of first instance, in contrast to any appellate or supervisory body.
Fixed Demurrage: A liquidated daily rate agreed for delay beyond laytime, regardless of actual loss.
Fixture Recap: The brokers' confirmation of the main terms agreed for the fixture, capable of constituting a binding contract.
Flag State: State of the ship's nationality, with jurisdiction under UNCLOS Article 94.
FOB Contract: A free on board sale contract under which risk passes from seller to buyer when the goods cross the ship's rail.
Force majeure clause: Clause excusing performance on specified excepted events.
Forum Conveniens: The forum with the closest and most real connection to the dispute, relevant to service out and stay applications.
Forum Non Conveniens: Doctrine for declining jurisdiction in favor of a more appropriate forum.
Forum Selection Clause: A contractual provision identifying the court or arbitral forum for disputes.
Foul Bill of Lading: A bill noted with defects in the apparent order and condition of cargo at shipment.
Free In and Out (FIO): A charter allocation under which the charterer bears loading and discharging costs.
Free In and Out Stowed (FIOS): An extension of FIO terms placing stowage costs on the charterer.
Free In and Out Stowed and Trimmed (FIOST): A further extension placing trimming costs on the charterer.
Free pratique: Permission to use a port after sanitary clearance.
Freezing Injunction: A court order restraining a party from dissipating assets pending judgment, available in support of arbitration.
Freight: Consideration for carriage; payable in advance, on delivery, or pro rata itineris.
French Code de Procedure Civile: The procedural code governing arbitrations seated in France.
Fund Convention 1971: The International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, superseded by the 1992 Protocol.
Fund Convention 1992 Protocol: The Protocol establishing the current International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund.
Fund Convention 2003 Supplementary Fund Protocol: The Protocol creating an additional tier of compensation above the 1992 Fund limit.

G

Gard Guide: The leading practitioner reference on P&I cover and charterparty law published by the Norwegian P&I club Gard.
GENCON 1994: BIMCO uniform general charter, the most widely used dry bulk voyage form.
GENCON 2022: Updated BIMCO General Charter Party 2022.
General Average Adjuster: A professional appointed to apportion losses arising from a general average act under the York-Antwerp Rules.
General Average Bond: undertaking by cargo interests on Lloyd's form to pay any GA contribution found due.
General Average Clause: A charterparty provision identifying the York-Antwerp Rules edition applicable and the place of adjustment.
General Average Deposit: cash payment by cargo interests as security pending adjustment.
General Average Guarantee: written guarantee from cargo underwriters in lieu of cash deposit.
Geneva Convention 1923 (Arbitration): An early multilateral instrument on arbitration superseded for most purposes by the New York Convention.
German Maritime Arbitration Association (GMAA): The Hamburg-based arbitral institution with rules tailored for German seated maritime arbitration.
Good Faith in Arbitration: The duty under section 40 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 to do all things necessary for the proper and expeditious conduct of the reference.
Governing Law Clause: A contractual provision selecting the substantive law of the agreement.
Grace Period: A time charter provision allowing the charterer a specified number of banking days to remedy a failure to pay hire.
Group of Companies Doctrine: A controversial principle extending an arbitration agreement to non-signatory affiliates, recognized in some civilian systems and rejected in English law.
Guarantee of Performance: A surety undertaking, often by a parent or bank, supporting performance of charterparty obligations.

H

Hague Rules 1924: International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating to Bills of Lading.
Hague-Visby Rules 1968: The Protocol amending the Hague Rules, increasing per-package limits and clarifying carrier obligations.
Hague-Visby SDR Protocol 1979: The Protocol replacing gold franc package limits with limits expressed in Special Drawing Rights.
Hamburg Rules 1978: UN Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea, in force 1992; limited adoption.
Harter Act 1893: The US statute on carrier responsibilities for cargo damage, applicable before loading and after discharge.
Heads of Damages: The categories of recoverable loss in a maritime claim, such as cargo damage, demurrage, and consequential expense.
Hearing Bundle: The collated written materials presented to the tribunal at the merits hearing.
Hellenic Chamber of Shipping Arbitration: A Greek institution administering maritime references seated in Piraeus.
High Court Admiralty Action in Rem: An action against the offending ship as defendant, initiated by the issue of an in rem claim form.
Hire statement: Account of time charter hire and off-hire periods.
Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW): An international law firm with a leading shipping and trade practice.
Hong Kong Admiralty Court: The specialist court of the Court of First Instance of Hong Kong hearing maritime claims.
Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC): A leading institutional administrator of arbitrations seated in Hong Kong, including maritime disputes.
Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group (HKMAG): An association promoting and supporting maritime arbitration in Hong Kong.
Hull Fouling Clause 2013: The BIMCO clause allocating responsibility for fouling resulting from extended idle periods.
Hybrid Tribunal: A panel composed of arbitrators with mixed legal and commercial backgrounds.

I

ICC International Maritime Bureau: An IMB division providing piracy reporting and casualty intelligence.
IMO Resolution: Numbered decision of the Assembly (A.), Council (C.), or a Committee (MSC., MEPC., LEG., FAL., TC.).
IMPA: International Maritime Pilots Association.
In Personam: A claim against a named person rather than against property.
In Rem: Action against the ship itself, basis of arrest jurisdiction.
Ince & Co: A historic London shipping law firm, which entered administration in 2019 with parts of the practice continuing under successor firms.
Incorporation Clause: A provision in a bill of lading or subcontract incorporating terms of the head contract by reference.
Indemnity Clause: A contractual promise to hold the other party harmless against specified losses.
Independent Investigation Power: The arbitrators' authority under section 34 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 to direct procedure and evidence, subject to party agreement.
Infectious or Contagious Diseases Clause 2015 (BIMCO): The clause regulating refusal of orders and cost allocation in epidemic scenarios.
Inland Carrier Liability: The body of national law and contract terms governing carriage on the land legs of a through transport.
Insolvency of Charterer: Events affecting a charterer's solvency, often a contractual ground for withdrawal under a time charter.
Interim Award: An award disposing of part of the issues in the reference, such as liability or jurisdiction.
Interim Hire: Hire paid into court or escrow pending resolution of a disputed off-hire claim.
Interim Measures: Provisional relief ordered by a tribunal or court in support of the reference, including security and preservation of evidence.
Interim Payment: A pre-award payment ordered by a tribunal or court on account of an anticipated final award.
Intermediate Claims Procedure (LMAA): The streamlined LMAA procedure for claims above the SCP threshold and below a defined upper limit, with capped costs.