Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Maritime Arbitration and Shipping Law Firms glossary (page 2)

The arbitration-forum and law-firm vocabulary: the arbitral institutions (AAA, the ADGM Arbitration Centre), the Admiralty Court of England and Wales, the maritime law firms, and the in-rem and in-personam procedural terms. Grounds each term in the arbitration forum or the law firm it belongs to.

321 defined terms.

Showing 71 on this page (page 2 of 2).

P

Procedural Order: A direction by a tribunal regulating the conduct of the reference.
Procedural Order Number 1: First procedural order in LMAA and other arbitrations setting out the timetable.
Punitive Damages: Available in limited circumstances under United States general maritime law but not under English law.

Q

Quadrant Chambers: A leading London barristers' set with a substantial international shipping and trade practice.
Queen's Counsel: Title used in England and Wales prior to September 2022, succeeded by King's Counsel.

R

Reed Smith: An international law firm with a substantial transportation, shipping, and trade practice.
Reference for Determination: Process by which an English court refers an issue to an LMAA tribunal.
Repudiatory Breach: A breach evincing an intention no longer to be bound by the contract, entitling the innocent party to terminate.
Respondent: The party against whom an arbitral reference is commenced.
Riyadh Convention: 1983 Arab convention on judicial cooperation relevant to enforcement in the Middle East.
Rotterdam Rules: UN Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, 2009, not yet in force.
Rule B Attachment: pre-judgment maritime attachment in US courts.
Rules of the LMAA: Procedural framework with Main Terms, Intermediate Claims Procedure, Small Claims Procedure, FALCA, and Mediation Terms.

S

SCMA: Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration.
SCMA Rules: Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration Rules, current Fourth Edition in force from 1 January 2022.
SCMA Sole Arbitrator List: Roster of sole arbitrators appointed under SCMA Expedited Procedure.
Seat of Arbitration: The juridical place of the arbitration determining the curial law and the supervisory court.
Section 67 Challenge: An application to set aside an award for lack of substantive jurisdiction.
Section 68 Challenge: An application to set aside an award for serious irregularity.
Section 69 Appeal: An appeal on a question of law arising out of an English seated award, available with leave or agreement.
Seoul Maritime Arbitration: Practice of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board's Maritime Arbitration Division.
Shanghai International Arbitration Center: Mainland Chinese institution administering some maritime disputes.
Shoosmiths: United Kingdom firm with a maritime practice in Southampton.
SIAC: Singapore International Arbitration Centre, institution founded in 1991 administering shipping cases under the SIAC Rules.
Simmons and Simmons: International firm with a shipping disputes practice in London and Singapore.
SkyMart: Reference to a sample case name commonly used as a teaching example.
SMA: Society of Maritime Arbitrators, New York.
SMA Rules: Maritime Arbitration Rules of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators with the Shortened Arbitration Procedure for small claims.
Sole Arbitrator: Single arbitrator appointed under expedited or small claims procedures.
South African Admiralty Jurisdiction Regulation Act 1983: Statute governing admiralty arrests and proceedings in South Africa.
Stephenson Harwood: An international law firm with a leading marine and trade practice.
Stewart Sokol and Larkin: United States firm with shipping practice in Portland.
Strang and Co: Reference to a London admiralty firm.
Subrogation: Insurer's right to step into the insured's claim against third parties.
Substantive Law: Governing law of the contract, frequently English law in maritime arbitration.
Sue and Labour Clause: clause requiring the assured to take reasonable measures to avert or minimize loss, with expenses recoverable; ITC Hulls 1/10/83 clause 11.

T

T&T Salvage: US headquartered salvage contractor with OPA 90 OSRO standing.
Talwar Thakore and Associates: Indian firm with a shipping disputes practice in Mumbai.
TAY Juhana Foundation: Reference to Indonesian maritime advocacy.
Tay Vessels: Reference vessel name used in shipping arbitration scholarship.
Thomas Cooper: London admiralty law firm founded in 1825 with offices in London, Paris, Madrid, Piraeus, Sao Paulo, and Singapore.
Three-Member Panel: Tribunal of three arbitrators preferred for higher-value LMAA, SCMA, and SMA cases.
Time Bar: Limitation period (one year under Hague-Visby Article III Rule 6).
TOMAC: The Tokyo Maritime Arbitration Commission of the Japan Shipping Exchange Inc, administering maritime arbitrations in Tokyo.
TPM: Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference where shipping disputes are discussed.
Trade Sanctions: Regulatory regimes triggering disputes on frustration, illegality, and indemnity in shipping arbitration.
Tribunal: Body of one or more arbitrators rendering the award.
Tribunal Secretary: An administrative assistant appointed to support an arbitral tribunal, subject to disclosure and party agreement.

U

UAE Federal Arbitration Law: Federal Law Number 6 of 2018 governing arbitrations seated in the United Arab Emirates outside the financial free zones.
Umpire: Third arbitrator in two-arbitrator tribunals who decides if the original two arbitrators disagree, available under Sections 15 to 22 of the English Arbitration Act 1996.
UNCITRAL: United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, drafter of the UNCITRAL Model Law and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules 2013: Rules used by ad hoc arbitrations including some maritime disputes.
UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration: Adopted on 21 June 1985 and amended in 2006, basis for arbitration statutes in 88 jurisdictions.
Unfair Contract Terms Act: United Kingdom statute of 1977 generally inapplicable to international maritime contracts under Section 26.
United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea: Rotterdam Rules of 2008, ratified by 5 states as of late 2025.
United Nations Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Sea: Hamburg Rules of 1978 adopted by 35 states parties.

V

VAB: Vesselink Arbitration Board reference in academic literature.
Vacation of Award: United States Federal Arbitration Act remedy under Section 10 of Title 9 US Code.
Vessel Arrest: Court-ordered detention of a ship to secure a maritime claim under the Arrest Convention or domestic law.
Vinson and Elkins: United States firm with offshore and shipping practice in Houston.
Voylayrules 1993: BIMCO and FONASBA standard definitions used in laytime arbitration.

W

Warwick Reid: Reference to anti-suit injunction case law in shipping arbitration.
Waterson Hicks: London admiralty solicitors specializing in collisions and shipping disputes.
Watson Farley & Williams: An international law firm with a leading maritime, asset finance, and energy practice.
Wikborg Rein: Norwegian firm with shipping headquarters in Oslo and Bergen and offices in London, Singapore, and Shanghai.
Winston and Strawn: International firm with a London arbitration practice including shipping matters.
Wong Partnership: Singapore firm with a maritime arbitration practice and frequent SCMA appointments.

X

XL Catlin: Marine insurer instructing external counsel; rebranded AXA XL after 2018 acquisition.

Y

York-Antwerp Rules 2016: The current CMI revision of the York-Antwerp Rules restoring salvage and other allowances.
Young International Council for Commercial Arbitration: Networking body whose maritime sub-group convenes regularly.

Z

Zaiwalla and Co: London law firm with a sanctions and shipping disputes practice.