Haiwen secures favourable settlements in five high-value maritime and commercial arbitration-related disputes

海问律师事务所欣然宣布，其香港争议解决团队近期代表客户在五宗高额海事、航运及跨境商事仲裁相关争议中达成有利和解。该等案件体现了团队能够将法律分析、程序策略与商业判断有机结合，以高效务实并符合客户商业目标的方式化解复杂争议。

Haiwen & Partners is pleased to announce that its Hong Kong disputes team has recently secured favourable settlements for clients in five high-value maritime, shipping and cross-border commercial disputes connected with arbitration proceedings. These matters demonstrate the team's ability to combine legal analysis, procedural strategy and commercial judgment to resolve complex disputes efficiently and in a manner aligned with clients’ business objectives.

该五宗案件涉及香港国际仲裁中心(HKIAC)、香港海事仲裁协会(HKMAG)及伦敦海事仲裁员协会(LMAA)相关仲裁和程序，争议事项涵盖船舶修理及管理费用、租船合同项下延误及装货安排、国际货物买卖、信用证付款、提单及货物处置、保全措施以及相关境内外法院程序等多个领域。

The five matters involved proceedings connected with arbitrations under the auspices of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), the Hong Kong Maritime Arbitration Group (HKMAG) and the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA). The disputes spanned a broad range of issues, including vessel repair and management fee claims, delay and cargo loading issues under charterparty arrangements, international sale of goods, letters of credit, bills of lading and cargo disposal, interim measures, and related court proceedings in and outside Mainland of China.

在该等案件中，海问团队围绕合同分析、事实梳理、仲裁策略、保全及程序申请以及和解谈判等方面为客户提供全面法律支持。通过尽早识别争议中的关键压力点，并在适当阶段采取有针对性的程序和谈判措施，团队得以为客户建立谈判优势、管控争议风险，并推动争议以符合商业利益的方式解决。

Across these matters, Haiwen advised on contractual analysis, factual development, arbitration strategy, interim and procedural applications, and settlement negotiations. By identifying the key pressure points early and pursuing targeted procedural and negotiation steps at the appropriate stages, the team was able to build leverage, manage dispute risk and help clients reach commercially sensible resolutions.

其中，在一宗以香港为仲裁地的HKIAC海事仲裁中，海问团队在推进仲裁的同时，及时部署内地财产保全策略，成功冻结对方银行存款或等值财产，迅速为客户建立有力谈判筹码，并最终促成360万美元和解，回收金额超过原追索本金。

In one Hong Kong-seated HKIAC maritime arbitration, Haiwen advanced the arbitration while promptly implementing a Mainland asset preservation strategy, successfully securing the freezing of the counterparty’s bank deposits or equivalent assets. This created immediate settlement leverage and ultimately led to a settlement of US$3.6 million, with the client’s recovery exceeding the original principal amount claimed.

在另一宗由HKIAC管理并按简易程序推进的海事仲裁中，海问团队在提交仲裁请求后不久即推动案件进入实质和解阶段，协助客户在仲裁早期收回逾九成索赔本金及大部分仲裁成本。

In another HKIAC-administered maritime arbitration conducted under the expedited procedure, Haiwen moved the matter into substantive settlement discussions shortly after filing the Notice of Arbitration and Statement of Claim. This enabled the client to recover more than 90% of its claimed principal, together with a substantial portion of its arbitration costs, at an early stage of the proceedings.

在另外三宗高价值案件中，海问团队亦协助客户在复杂海事及跨境贸易背景下实现更全面的商业化解决方案，包括：围绕大宗商品买卖、信用证付款、提单及货物处置争议达成全球和解；就租船合同项下延误、装货安排及相关费用争议推动商业化解决；以及在涉及多方、多合同关系及跨境程序的争议中，通过统筹仲裁策略、法院程序及和解谈判，协助客户降低持续风险、控制成本并实现更广泛的商业目标。

In the other three high-value matters, Haiwen also assisted clients in achieving broader commercial resolutions in complex maritime and cross-border trading contexts. These included a global settlement of disputes concerning commodity sale contracts, letters of credit, bills of lading and cargo disposal; a commercially driven resolution of disputes arising from delay, cargo loading arrangements and related costs under charterparty arrangements; and coordinated dispute management in matters involving multiple parties, contracts and cross-border procedures, through which arbitration strategy, court processes and settlement discussions were aligned to reduce ongoing exposure, control costs and achieve clients’ wider commercial objectives.

这些案件既体现了香港及国际仲裁在处理跨境海事及商事争议中的灵活性和实效性，也反映了海问香港争议解决团队在复杂事实分析、多法域程序统筹、保全措施及和解策略方面的一体化能力。在每一宗案件中，团队关注的并不仅是争议请求本身的法律胜负，更是在争议发展的适当阶段为客户实现最优商业结果。

These matters reflect both the flexibility and effectiveness of Hong Kong and international arbitration in resolving cross-border maritime and commercial disputes, and Haiwen's integrated capability in handling complex facts, multi-jurisdictional procedures, interim measures and settlement strategy. In each case, the team’s focus was not only on the legal merits of the claims, but also on achieving the right commercial outcome at the right stage of the dispute.

海问香港办公室合伙人刘洋律师表示：“我们很高兴近期能够在五宗海事及商事仲裁相关争议中协助客户取得有利结果。这些案件表明，争议解决的价值并不只体现在最终庭审或裁决结果之上，更体现在能否尽早制定恰当策略、及时采取程序行动，并通过有效谈判，以务实且具成本效益的方式实现客户的商业目标。海问香港争议解决团队将继续以清晰、高效和结果导向的方式，为复杂跨境及多法域争议提供支持。”

Edward Liu, Partner of Haiwen's Hong Kong office, commented: "We are pleased to have assisted clients in securing favourable outcomes across five recent maritime and commercial arbitration-related disputes. These matters demonstrate that the value of dispute resolution is not measured solely by a final hearing or award. It also lies in the ability to formulate the right strategy early, take timely procedural steps and use negotiation effectively to achieve the client’s commercial objectives in a practical and cost-efficient way. Haiwen’s Hong Kong disputes team remains committed to providing clear, responsive and results-focused support in complex cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters."

该五宗案件由海问香港办公室合伙人刘洋律师领导，黎淇瀚律师及雷卫颐实习律师为主要承办人。

The five matters were led by Edward Liu, Partner, with key support from Aaron Lai, Associate, and Winnie Lui, Trainee Solicitor.