Nic van der Reyden

Nic is a Partner in the Transport team at HWL Ebsworth Lawyers. With over 20 years’ experience, Nic specialises in shipping, commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Nic’s clients include shipowners, charterers, traders, logistics and mining companies and their insurers including P&I and H&M.

Nic’s work involves the broad cross section of marine matters including charterparties, contracts of affreightment, bills of lading, offshore oil & gas and ship construction disputes, as well as contract drafting and advisory work. He has accumulated significant experience acting for owners and operators of offshore supply vessels and FPSO’s, in matters relating to heavy lift and project cargoes, marine casualty and fire investigations, ship arrest, coastal shipping regulation and ship sale & purchase transactions.

He has extensive experience in domestic and international commercial arbitration and mediation, having conducted arbitrations and mediations in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. His litigation experience spans courts in South Africa, England and Australia, in which jurisdictions he is qualified to practice. Nic is recognised by his clients, peers and international legal directories such as Chambers Asia Pacific, Legal 500, Lexology index, Best Lawyers, and Legal and Doyles Guide. Nic’s clients describe him as “a very good communicator who is able to explain the more technical concepts in a way a layman can understand” and “He is sensible, practical and very good to deal with” (Chambers Asia Pacific). He is also described as having “extremely good industry knowledge” and is rated for his “excellent client focus and support” (Legal 500 Asia Pacific).

 

Experience

Nic’s experience includes advising:

  • Marine insurers on cargo claims, charterparty disputes, freight forwarder liabilities, port liabilities, stevedoring claims and other marine liability claims;
  • The owners and insurers of the “APL Sydney” in defending a AUD120 million claim following the fouling and rupture of a major gas pipeline by the vessel’s anchor and the successfully limited the liability of the owners under the Limitation Convention;
  • Owners and operators of FPSOs and supply vessels in relation to charterparties, towage, collisions, pollution and regulatory issues, including NOPSEMA;
  • Clients on arrest of ships, including the Admiralty Marshal, mortgagees, charterers, cargo claimants, ship owners and their insurers defending claims;
  • Clients on all aspects of charterparties, COAs and bills of lading, in both contentions and non-contentious matters;
  • P&I Clubs and owners defending marine pollution claims arising from oil, noxious liquid substances and waste; and
  • Clients on all marine issues associated with port operations and port facility development including the development of a new offshore supply base and bulk liquid storage facility.

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