Hannah Chua

Full Profile

Hannah is a Legal Director in the Singapore Energy, Marine and Natural Resources team. She was called to the Singapore bar in 2013 and has since amassed extensive experience acting for and advising clients in the energy and maritime industry, including leading commodity trading firms, mining companies, multinational energy corporations, shipowners and charterers. 

Hannah regularly represents clients in trade and shipping disputes across different jurisdictions and has significant experience in the Singapore courts as well as international arbitration (e.g. SIAC, SCMA, LCIA, LMAA, ICC, GAFTA, FOSFA and ad-hoc arbitrations). The disputes handled by Hannah cover a wide array of issues, including contract repudiation, force majeure, trade finance, off-specification cargo and demurrage claims. Notably, Hannah helped to successfully defend a multinational commodity trading client against a claim in fraud and conspiracy brought by an issuing bank of a letter of credit following the insolvency of the Hin Leong group. The landmark Singapore High Court decision is reported in UniCredit Bank AG v Glencore Singapore Pte. Ltd [2022] SGHC 263, with the Court of Appeal decision reported in UniCredit Bank AG v Glencore Singapore Pte Ltd [2023] SGCA 41.

She is also frequently called upon to provide clients with prompt and commercial solutions in urgent times of need.

Drawing from her experience in disputes, Hannah is familiar with the business and operations of her clients. She is therefore also skilled in non-contentious work and frequently helps international clients to prepare their standard terms and template contracts, including multiple LNG MSPAs, offtake agreements, biofuel sales contracts, standard bunker trading terms, storage and handling agreements and master netting agreements. Hannah also supports clients in their large-scale projects, such as advising a leading multinational mining group on the world's first tender of chartering a fleet of dual-fuelled bulk carriers. This project included the preparation of tender documents and term sheets, drafting and negotiating LNG bunker supply contracts and long-term time charterparties, and providing strategic support throughout the project generally.

Hannah also provides legal training to clients and the industry alike. Most recently, she led a workshop on LNG bunkering at the FLNG & FSRU Congress 2023 in Singapore.

Hannah is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Experience

• Successfully defended a multinational commodity trading company against claims brought by a letter of credit issuing bank following the insolvency of the Hin Leong group (UniCredit Bank AG v Glencore Singapore Pte. Ltd [2022] SGHC 263; UniCredit Bank AG v Glencore Singapore Pte Ltd [2023] SGCA 41)
• Supported a multinational mining group in its project relating to the world's first tender of chartering a fleet of dual-fuelled bulk carriers
• Advising clients on offtake agreements on various commodities, including oil products and coal  
• Advised a global agricultural merchant on a coffee bean production and offtake project, including the drafting of long-term purchase, roasting and supply agreements across the production chain
• Advising various commodities traders on terms of International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) contracts
• Advising a major commodities trader on potential dispute under offtake agreement involving repudiatory failure to deliver by supplier
• Advised the world’s leading trading houses on various Force Majeure disputes relating to oil and LNG cargoes
• Successfully set aside an interim arbitral award in the Singapore High Court, where the issue related to the interpretation of the time bar provision in the BP GTCs
• Advised LNG trading clients in relation to intentional failures to deliver by seller following extreme market movements, with a particular focus on liability caps
• Assisted a leading Australian mining company in managing its legal and commercial exposure arising out of its buyer’s attempts to repudiate a copper concentrates sales contract
• Represented a multinational oil trading company in connection with various disputes arising from the widely reported contamination of Russian crude oil
• Advised a Japanese energy corporation on disputes arising out of a potential LNG bunkering project (including time charter of LNG bunkering vessel)
• Advising Japanese shipowners and leading sogo sosha on the drafting of LNG vessel shipbuilding contracts and related long-term time charterparties
• Advising a Japanese commodities corporation on dispute regarding non-performance under a throughput agreement for outturning of product at port facilities
• Reviewing and advising on terms of LNG template sales and purchase agreements (both from sellers' and buyers' perspectives) for various clients
• Supporting a Southeast Asian national energy company on various aspects of its bunker business