Chartered Institute Of Arbitrators News

Chris Charman took over as Chief Executive of the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) in December of last year. IMCA’s Chief Executive leads the IMCA secretariat and is responsible for delivering the association’s extensive global work program. Charman, perhaps not widely known to our North American readership, nevertheless brings impressive qualifications to this important advocacy group for the international offshore, marine and underwater engineering sectors.

Chris Charman is appointed Chief Executive of IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association) taking over from Hugh Williams who is retiring. Chris Charman is greatly looking forward to his new role: "IMCA will bring together so many of my professional skills and capabilities – my working life began in the Royal Navy as an officer where I gained invaluable marine experience," he explains. "I have worked with a number of trade associations and 'not-for-profit' organisations; and the vast majority of my working life has been devoted to risk management.

Chris Charman has been appointed as Chief Executive of IMCA (International Marine Contractors Association) taking over from Hugh Williams who is retiring. He will take up the position on 3 December 2012. IMCA is the international trade association for offshore, marine and underwater engineering companies with about 850 members in over 60 countries all around the world. It focuses on offshore construction and marine operations mainly in support of offshore oil & gas, but also marine renewable energy, dredging and telecommunications cable laying.

Petrospot Limited has recently published Legal Issues in Bunkering: An Introduction to the Law Relating to the Sale and Use of Marine Fuels: a new book by barrister and legal consultant Trevor Harrison. The book offers an accessible overview of the legal aspects of bunkering, distilling salient points and summarizing the more arcane elements of the subject. The book is not intended as a substitute for professional help or casebooks on shipping law, but it will certainly educate the reader about the key legal topics and, importantly, guide him in the right direction should a contract go wrong.

Marine Liens Ltd., has formed an alliance with London-based Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) to assist in the resolution of disputes between maritime contractors or suppliers and vessel owners world-wide. Innovative forms of online dispute resolution will be used to mediate and/or arbitrate disputes. The year-old MarineLiens.com, a forum for posting and searching maritime lien claims, maintains its own online resolution process. Once a claim of lien is posted, notification is sent to the owner of the vessel, who then has the opportunity to refute. Notification of rebuttal is sent to the claimant, who then has 30 days to respond. If s/he does not respond, the claim is automatically marked as settled.