Kevin Chan

Full Profile

Kevin is qualified to practice law in Singapore and is an Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law appointed by the Singapore Academy of Law. He advises on maritime disputes and represents clients in Singapore Court proceedings, institutional arbitrations (ICC /SIAC/HKIAC) and adhoc arbitrations (SCMA Rules, LMAA terms).

The issues that Kevin advises on include shipping delays resulting from COVID-19, demurrage, detention, sanctions on oil shipments, responsibility for port congestion, cargo contamination, breakdown of hull and machinery, shipment of dangerous goods under the IMDG code, emission control methods, and implementation of counter-measures against piracy and hijacking. He is experienced in dealing with disputes relating to the financial distress of players in the trade, shipping and offshore industry.

Additionally, Kevin advises on international trade disputes including off-specification and shortfall claims, price adjustments, goods rejection, delayed shipment, and non-conforming letters of credit.

Kevin also has a particular interest in digital transformation of the shipping industry.

Experience

• Represented a shipowner in a dispute concerning the assessment of recoverable losses arising from damage to a telecommunication cable in Singapore waters.
• Acted for a Maltese state-owned entity in Singapore court proceedings initiated by a shipowner seeking to limit its liability under the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC). The case involved significant claims for damages caused by the ship's dislodged anchor to a subsea cable, which triggered a nationwide power outage in Malta.
• Acted for a shipowner in Singapore court proceedings involving a dispute with a telecommunication service provider over allegations of disruption in broadband connectivity, which involved issues of liability and quantification of recoverable damages.
• Acted for a shipowner in London arbitration proceedings involving the shipment of cargo suspected to be of sanctioned origin.
• Acted for a Chinese state-owned entity in SIAC arbitration proceedings relating to the supply of electronic components for an Indian power plant project.
• Acted for a bank in Singapore Court proceedings where its entitlement to the sale proceeds of a vessel was contested by a bunker supplier. 
• Acted for Vinmar in relation to a sale of goods dispute where a stay of Singapore Court proceedings in favour of the English High Court was successfully achieved. The Singapore Court of Appeal’s decision in Vinmar Overseas (Singapore) Pte Ltd v PTT International Trading Pte Ltd [2018] SGCA 65 overruled 4 of its previous decisions and restated the principles on exclusive jurisdiction clauses in Singapore.
• Acted for a logistics service provider in SIAC arbitration proceedings relating to a claim for various losses incurred due to delays in a multimodal transportation of chemical reactors.
• Acted for the owners of the vessel DREAMSTAR in a Singapore High Court trial relating to her collision with the vessel MEGHNA PRINCESS: The "DREAM STAR" [2017] SGHC 220
• Acted for a manufacturer of micro-electronic chips in a dispute worth over USD 50 million relating to the sale of chips for Indonesia’s national identity card project. The dispute culminated in a month - long trial involving issues of fraud and conspiracy: PT Sandipala v ST Microelectronics & Ors [2017] SGHC 102; [2018] SGCA 17

Qualifications

• Author of “A New Era of Maritime Arbitration – Ex Machina Awards”, Journal of International Arbitration, Volume 40 (5) (2023) 
• Author of “Robot judges-not a question of legitimacy but of choice”, The Business Times, August 2023 
• Co-author of the Maritime Law Handbook on Judicial Sales of Vessels and Priority of Claims (2021 Edition) 
• Contributor to Halsbury's Laws of Singapore on Shipping (2016 Edition)