UK Supreme Court interprets the “stay” provisions of s9 of the Arbitration Act 1996: rules Mozambique’s claims fall outside scope of arbitration agreements and rejects s9 application for stay

Introduction In Republic of Mozambique v Privinvest Shipbuilding SAL and others [2023] UKSC 32, the Supreme Court has unanimously found the Republic of Mozambique (Mozambique)’s claims for, among other things, bribery, conspiracy and dishonest assistance against the defendants to be “matters” which fall outside the scope of the arbitration agreements in a number of related … Read more

ENGLISH COURT RETAINS POWER TO AWARD COSTS AFTER ARBITRATION CHALLENGE DISMISSED

In Viking Trading OU v Louis Dreyfus Suisse SA [2023] EWHC 2160 (Comm) the English Commercial Court clarified its discretionary power to grant costs of defending a s69 application under the English Act (Act) for permission to appeal an arbitral award, even if costs were not initially sought. This decision provides helpful guidance on best … Read more

No contract, no arbitration agreement? The separability principle explained

In DHL Project & Chartering Ltd v Gemini Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd [2022] EWCA 1555, the Court of Appeal considered whether an arbitration agreement was binding on the parties in circumstances where a pre-condition to the effectiveness of the contract had not been satisfied. In dismissing the application to set aside the arbitral award for … Read more

English High Court confirms that a non-participating party may contest jurisdiction even though an arbitrator has been appointed

In National Investment Bank Ltd v Eland International (Thailand) Co. Ltd and another [2022] EWHC 1168 (Comm), the English High Court considered the interaction between sections 72(1) and 18 of the English Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Act“). Section 72(1) allows a non-participating party to an arbitration to seek a declaration from the English Court as … Read more

The English court retains its robust approach to challenges to arbitral awards: Commercial Court releases its statistics

The Judiciary of England and Wales has published the Commercial Court Report 2020-2021 (The Report). These reports are released annually to give an overview of the courts’ work and decision-making. For arbitration practitioners, they also provide insight into the number of applications made before the English court to challenge arbitral awards and how these applications are … Read more

English Court sets aside award on the ground that the arbitral tribunal lacked substantive jurisdiction

In DHL Project & Chartering Ltd v Gemini Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd [2022] EWHC 181 (Comm), the Commercial Court has set aside an arbitral award under s67 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (the “Act“) on the basis that the arbitral tribunal lacked substantive jurisdiction. The case concerned a “subjects” provision which required “shipper/receiver’s approval“. The … Read more