William Melbourne

Full Profile

William has a master's degree in shipping, carriage of goods and civil procedure.

He focuses on marine and trade-related insurance, including marine liability and political and credit risk, dry shipping, cargo claims and transport-related litigation and dispute resolution, including arbitration (ICC, LCIA, LMAA) and mediation.

William was a member of the London Market Joint Cargo Committee's Cargo Clauses Working Party responsible for producing the institute Cargo Clauses 2009. He has also co-authored a chapter on this topic in The Modern Law of Marine Insurance (Volume 3) and prepared articles, lectured and prepared study materials on marine insurance topics. 

William is currently a member of the BMLA Carriage of Goods Committee.

Experience

• Representing political and credit risk insurers in arbitrations arising from export finance and political risk insurance claims
• Advising on marine cargo insurance coverage issues, including sanctions, marine war risks, rejection risks/loss of EC subsidy, inherent vice, delay, insolvency and classification related issues arising out of the London, Japanese and Belgian markets
• Advising marine liability insurers on allisions and claims involving damage to submarine cables resulting in US litigation and the successful pursuit of double insurance recoveries. William has extensive experience of defence work and policy advice in relation to marine casualties, general average, and marine cargo claims involving refrigerated and bulk cargoes, as well as road carriage and goods-in-transit disputes
• Advising K&R insurers on coverage and wordings in respect of piracy risks and general average
• Reported insurance cases include The Frio Chile [1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 183 and The Joint Frost [1998] 1 Lloyd's Rep 310, both Commercial Court (rejection risks); Jan De Nul (UK) Ltd v. AXA Royale Belge SA [2002] 1 Lloyd's Rep IR 589 (marine liability cover), The Prestrioka [2003] 2 Lloyd's Rep 327 (marine cargo/attachment of risk), Craft Enterprises v AXA Insurance Co [2005] 1 Lloyd's Rep IR 14 (marine cargo/jurisdiction, effect of certificates of insurance) all Court of Appeal