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M/T “Sanchi”
M/T “Alex”
M/V “MOL Comfort”
The most tragic accident of ship explosion and sinking after collision in East China Sea in shipping history
On 6 January 2018, a fatal collision occurred between M/T “Sanchi” operated by National Iranian Tanker Company (“NITC”), and the Hong Kong registered cargo vessel M/V “CF Crystal”. “Sanchi” exploded immediately upon collision and kept burning for nearly 2 weeks. She eventually sank despite of multinational tremendous efforts in rescue and none of her 32 crews survived. The accident was reported as the most tragic in shipping history. WJNCO represented Owners and the Club of M/V “CF Crystal” to deal with various legal disputes and a series of lawsuits arising from the accident, including establishment of limitation fund of liability for maritime claims in China and claims for collision damage, personal injury, cargo losses, wreck removal, salvage remunerations and pollution damage, etc. Total claim amounts have exceeded CNY 10 billion. The accident has assembled all key elements under maritime law whilst parallel proceedings in Hong Kong and unpredictable influence by US sanctions against Iran shall also be taken into account.
Disputed case involving complicated navigational issues arising from grounding of a VLCC
In April 2017, M/T “Alex”, a Belgium-registered VLCC, fully laden with crude oil onboard, ran aground during her transit through Karimata Strait at a position which was found by Indonesian authorities as an uncharted shoal. Owners subsequently declared GA and arranged to salvage the tanker with onboard cargo. Despite of provision of GA bond and payment for salvage remunerations and the cargo insurers still sued Owners in China to accuse the tanker was unseaworthy. Upon instructions from Owners and their P&I Club, WJNCO formulated a set of comprehensive defending strategies based on in-depth research on navigation technology and close cooperation with navigational experts as well as proactive collection of crucial evidence abroad, enabling Owners to successfully exonerate liabilities for the grounding accident in the first instance. During the appeal proceedings , WJNCO again assisted the Owners in skillfully negotiating an amicable and satisfactory settlement with the cargo insurers.
Acknowledged by PRC Supreme Court as One of Top-10 typical maritime cases of Year 2016 —— Sinking of the post-Panamax container vessel “MOL Comfort” in Indian Ocean
M/V “MOL Comfort”, a post-Panamax container vessel, split into halves during her transit in Indian Ocean in 2013 and sank into sea together with over 4,000 containers laden on board. The exceptional tragedy drew great attention from the entire maritime shipping industry and triggered a series of lawsuits in China, Japan, UK and many other jurisdictions. WJNCO appointed by the carrier and their insurers to handle a large volume of cargo claims in China. By working closely with our counterparts and experts from Japan and the UK, WJNCO first succeeded in establishing before Chinese courts that the ship sinking was ascribed to the ship’s latent defect in structural design, following which, the carrier was entitled to exoneration of liability for cargo damage/loss. Successful defence against the significant claims manifested WJNCO’s remarkable ability of providing excellent legal services and consummate skills in dealing with wet cases. This case has been elected as one of Top-10 typical maritime cases of Year 2016 by The PRC Supreme Court.
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From its founding in the 1990s, Wang Jing & Co. has been dedicated to providing legal services of the highest quality to Clients from all over the world, including leading P&I Clubs, ship-owners and underwriters, aligning its practice in traditional maritime with international standards.
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@2002-2021 Wang Jing & Co. All Rights Reserved. 粤ICP备05007041号