Haiwen advises seller on successful outcome in London maritime arbitration arising from vessel sale dispute

海问律师事务所香港办公室代理卖方处理一宗因船舶买卖交易引发的伦敦仲裁案件，并取得有利结果。该案以伦敦为仲裁地，适用《伦敦海事仲裁员协会仲裁规则》，所涉争议源于一份采用经修订《2012年挪威船舶买卖标准格式合同》的船舶买卖协议。

Haiwen & Partners LLP has advised the seller in a successful London-seated arbitration under the LMAA Terms arising out of a dispute concerning the sale of a vessel pursuant to an amended Norwegian SALEFORM 2012 memorandum of agreement.

本案争议源于买方在提名替代买方并签署相关承诺函后，未按约支付合同项下定金。根据该承诺函，原买方就被提名方履行合同义务提供担保。由于被提名方未能在延长期限届满前支付定金，卖方遂解除交易，并其后以较低价格与第三方完成替代出售。

The proceedings followed the buyers' failure to lodge the contractual deposit after nominating a substitute buyer and entering into a related letter of undertaking under which the original buyers guaranteed the nominee's performance. Following the nominee's failure to pay the deposit by the extended deadline, the seller cancelled the transaction and later concluded a substitute sale at a lower price.

卖方就买方未完成交易所造成的损失提起仲裁，并主张利息及费用。买方则否认责任，并试图援引若干抗辩理由，其中包括关于船舶状况的所谓缔约前陈述，以及有关船舶交付状态的所谓默示条款。

The seller brought claims arising from the buyers' failure to complete the purchase, together with interest and costs. The buyers denied liability and sought to rely, among other things, on alleged pre-contractual representations concerning the vessel's condition and an asserted implied term as to the condition in which the vessel would be delivered.

在日期为2026年9月28日的最终裁决中，伦敦海事仲裁庭驳回了买方的抗辩，并在绝大部分范围内支持了卖方的请求。卖方就其损害赔偿请求获得了约98%的支持，并获裁自2022年11月21日起至实际清偿日止的复利。仲裁庭认定，买方的抗辩在事实层面、商业层面及法律层面均不能成立。

In its final award dated 28 September 2026, the London maritime tribunal rejected the buyers' defence and upheld the seller's claim in overwhelmingly substantial part. The seller succeeded on approximately 98% of its damages claim, together with compound interest from 21 November 2022 until payment. The tribunal held that the buyers' case was unsustainable on practical, commercial and legal grounds.

仲裁庭采纳了卖方的主张，认定根据双方约定的合同安排，买方对于被提名方未履行义务的后果仍应承担责任。仲裁庭同时驳回了买方试图以所谓陈述及默示条款来限制或削弱买卖文件明示条款效力的主张，其中包括有关验船及完整协议条款的约定。

The tribunal accepted the seller's position that the buyers remained liable for the nominee's non-performance under the contractual arrangements agreed by the parties. It also rejected the buyers' attempts to rely on alleged representations and implied terms said to qualify the express provisions of the sale documentation, including the inspection and entire agreement clauses.

仲裁庭并进一步作出有利于卖方的费用裁决，裁定买方自行承担其自身费用，并承担卖方可获赔偿的仲裁费用以及裁决费用，且相关款项一并计付裁决所确定的进一步利息。总体而言，卖方成功追回其所主张法律费用的约70%。

The tribunal further awarded costs in the seller's favour. The buyers were ordered to bear their own costs, to pay the seller's recoverable arbitration costs, and to bear the costs of the award together with further interest as awarded. In total, the seller recovered approximately 70% of its claimed legal costs.

海问香港办公室合伙人刘洋表示：“我们很高兴为客户争取到这一有利结果。本案裁决审慎确认了双方当事人所约定的合同框架。仲裁庭驳回了买方试图依赖与交易文件不一致的所谓缔约前陈述及默示义务以规避责任的主张，并在包括费用在内的绝大部分范围内支持了卖方的请求。这一结果也体现了本团队在处理复杂航运及贸易争议方面的丰富经验。”

Edward Liu, partner in Haiwen's Hong Kong office, commented: "We are pleased to have secured this favourable result for the client. The award is a careful affirmation of the contractual framework agreed by the parties. The tribunal rejected attempts to avoid liability by reliance on alleged pre-contractual statements and implied obligations inconsistent with the transaction documents, and upheld the seller's claim in overwhelmingly substantial part, including on costs. The outcome also reflects the team's experience in handling complex shipping and trade disputes."

本案由刘洋律师负责统筹，黎淇瀚律师负责具体经办。

The matter was supervised by Edward Liu, with day-to-day conduct by Aaron Lai.

海问香港争议解决团队长期就航运及贸易争议提供法律服务，涵盖船舶买卖争议、伦敦海事仲裁以及英国法项下合同争议等事项。

Haiwen's Hong Kong disputes team regularly advises on shipping and trade disputes, including sale and purchase matters, LMAA arbitrations and English law contractual claims.