Mark’s particular experience and expertise covers:

• Arresting or attaching vessels, bunkers or other assets for the purposes of obtaining security for claims in London arbitration or other proceedings, including more recently the MT “Spike” and the tugs “Northwind” and “Southwind”.
• Negotiating security for owners or charterers in the event of an arrest of vessels or bunkers and procuring their prompt release from arrest, including most recently for owners of the MV “Hyderabad”.
• Advising on the prospects of challenging the validity of arrests, particularly of “associated” vessels and on the merits of potential wrongful arrest actions.
• Applying for the judicial sale of arrested vessels on behalf of mortgagee banks and other creditors.
• Preparing and lodging creditors’ claims against the Funds created by the judicial sales, including most recently in relation to the tugs “Northwind” and “Southwind”.
• Applications for orders, and negotiating agreed protocols, for access to vessels and documentation for the purposes of evidence gathering.
• Interviewing officers, crew and other personnel and preparing statements.
• Casualty facilitation in South and Southern Africa, including most recently representing one of the slot charterers (and their Club) of the container ship MV “APL Austria” which suffered a major explosion and fire on board off Port Elizabeth, and attending urgently on board a tanker at Dar es Salaam to protect the interests of owners and their Club in relation to a potential pollution incident at the SBM.
• Investigating and defending cargo claims for owners and the Clubs, most recently in a string of claims and potential claims in relation to maize cargoes carried into Namibia, South Africa, and Mozambique from Mexico on the vessels “Coral Gem”, “Santa Isabella” and “Challenger”.
• Charter party disputes.