Business News
Al Safar & Partners: Experts in maritime law services
May
Al Safar & Partners, like any other law firm, has made vigorous efforts to enhance the valuable role of the maritime issues due to its importance in international trade, commercial and shipping activities between UAE and the rest of world. Shipping and carriage of goods among the continents represent more than 70 per cent of the carriage of goods in international trade, which is quite obvious that such transfer of goods through maritime shipping needs to be highlighted and to be given sufficient attention. Accordingly, Al Safar & Partners is giving priority to all aspects of various maritime issues by extending its maritime services to matters related to damage caused by any ship – whether in collision, loss of life or personal injuries. We also specialise in ship building contracts, agreements for hiring ships and charter parties, pilotage, ships mortgage, disputes between collective owners about ownership and income of ships, arrest of ships and claims against them due to nonpayment of fuel, port fees or agents’ dues. Our Arbitration team covers most proceedings pertaining to all maritime sectors.
Why is the UAE such important center for maritime law?
The UAE has a number of ports, which serve international trade and are utilised by most shipping companies due to the UAE’s primordial role for both the export and import of goods as well as the modern legislation surrounding the maritime matters.
Maritime activities constitute a vast arena, and requires multiple legislations, which are connected with each other by its nature.
What are the most common forms of maritime law arbitration?
Maritime activities constitute a vast arena, and requires multiple legislations, which are connected with each other by its nature. The most common forms of arbitration are related to shipbuilding and construction, which are aiming to solve the possible dispute of the parties and can often be very complicated.
Another common topic is the charter parties and contracts of ships hire which can be raised at any time during the time charter party validity, where either party might be compelled to recourse either to arbitration or to find an amicable resolution, as the relationship between the parties is by nature exposed always to all vicissitudes. We cannot leave aside the ship collisions and ship accidents as well as salvage and towage of ships as this might force the parties to go for arbitration if they did not recourse to the local courts.
What are the main challenges in arbitrating maritime law in the UAE?
Arbitration is a hard task and needs patience and wide knowledge not just in the local legislation but as well in the international laws applicable to all maritime issues.
Since we face a multitude of laws spread all over the globe and covering a multitude of subjects, the arbitrator’s task is becoming increasingly difficult as it has to compare the laws in order not to incur in a conflict with the local legislation and to properly issue the arbitral award.
About Al Safar & Partners
Founded in 1982, Al Safar & Partners Advocates and Legal Consultants is one of the top four law firms in the United Arab Emirates. Specialising in litigation and arbitration, Al Safar & Partners offers the full range of corporate services to domestic and international business and financial communities.
The law firm handles the entire spectrum of civil, commercial, real estate, labour, criminal and family law cases of their valued clients from the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Europe.
With a highly qualifyied pool of senior lawyers, who speak over 14 languages, Al Safar & Partners offers complete legal services through their standalone branches and affiliate offices to a total of 112 countries, covering virtually the entire world.
To learn more visit here.
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