The latest edition of this clause is the BIMCO Dispute Resolution Clause 2017
The full text of the three BIMCO Standard Law & Arbitration Clauses is set out below:
This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Contract shall be referred to arbitration in London in accordance with the Arbitration Act 1996 or any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof save to the extent necessary to give effect to the provisions of this Clause.
The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) Terms current at the time when the arbitration proceedings are commenced.
The reference shall be to three arbitrators. A party wishing to refer a dispute to arbitration shall appoint its arbitrator and send notice of such appointment in writing to the other party requiring the other party to appoint its own arbitrator within 14 calendar days of that notice and stating that it will appoint its arbitrator as sole arbitrator unless the other party appoints its own arbitrator and gives notice that it has done so within the 14 days specified. If the other party does not appoint its own arbitrator and give notice that it has done so within the 14 days specified, the party referring a dispute to arbitration may, without the requirement of any further prior notice to the other party, appoint its arbitrator as sole arbitrator and shall advise the other party accordingly. The award of a sole arbitrator shall be binding on both parties as if he had been appointed by agreement.
Nothing herein shall prevent the parties agreeing in writing to vary these provisions to provide for the appointment of a sole arbitrator.
In cases where neither the claim nor any counterclaim exceeds the sum of USD50,000 (or such other sum as the parties may agree) the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the LMAA Small Claims Procedure current at the time when the arbitration proceedings are commenced.
This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Title 9 of the United States Code and the Maritime Law of the United States and any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Contract shall be referred to three persons at New York, one to be appointed by each of the parties hereto, and the third by the two so chosen; their decision or that of any two of them shall be final, and for the purposes of enforcing any award, judgement may be entered on an award by any court of competent jurisdiction. The proceedings shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators, Inc.
In cases where neither the claim nor any counterclaim exceeds the sum of USD50,000 (or such other sum as the parties may agree) the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the Shortened Arbitration Procedure of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators, Inc. current at the time when the arbitration proceedings are commenced.
This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the place mutually agreed by the parties and any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Contract shall be referred to arbitration at a mutually agreed place, subject to the procedures applicable there.
Prompted primarily by the coming into force of the English Arbitration Act 1996, BIMCO has thoroughly revised and updated its Standard Law & Arbitration Clause. In a slight departure from tradition and for ease of incorporation into non-standard charter parties and other agreements, three separate arbitration clauses have been drafted to replace the earlier ‘multiple choice’ version. The first clause provides for English law, London arbitration, the second clause provides for U.S. Law, New York arbitration while the third clause provides for law and place of arbitration as mutually agreed between the parties. By providing three distinct arbitration clauses, users will no longer be obliged to incorporate in their contract a lengthy ‘multiple choice’ standard arbitration clause when, in most cases, the terms and conditions of dispute resolution will have already been agreed as part of the contract negotiations. The main revisions to the text relate to the appointment procedure for London arbitration - although the text of the New York arbitration part and the “law and arbitration as agreed” part have been modified to take a consistent approach to the language and structure used.
NOTE: Users should be aware when incorporating the chosen standard law and arbitration clause into contracts and other agreements that the law and place of arbitration MUST be clearly stipulated. There is no automatic mechanism providing for English Law and London Arbitration in the event that the parties do not indicate a preferred forum. English Law, London Arbitration
On 31 January 1997 the Arbitration Act 1996 came into force in England. The new Act applies to all English arbitration proceedings commenced on or after the coming-into-force date. The new English Law/London Arbitration Clause takes full advantage of the non-mandatory provisions of the English Arbitration Act 1996 allowing parties to agree more tightly controlled appointment procedures to avoid the possibility of delaying tactics being employed by one side.
To ensure the widest possible industry appeal the English Law, London Arbitration Clause has been developed in close co-operation with the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) who provided helpful and constructive comments throughout the drafting process.
The following is a summary of the key features of the English Law, London Arbitration Clause:
The main change to this part of the text is that the reference to the award being made a ‘rule of the Court’ has been replaced by a reference to a ‘court of competent jurisdiction’. The term ‘rule of Court’ is now obsolete. It dates back to a time when there was no statutory authority for courts in the US to enforce arbitration agreements or awards and enforcement could only be achieved by obtaining a court order.
An amount of US$50,000 for any claim or counterclaim dealt with by the Shortened Arbitration Procedure has been inserted into the New York Arbitration Clause consistent with the approach taken in the London Arbitration Clause. However, as there is some indication that this amount may currently be slightly higher than normally dealt with by this procedure, the parties are given the opportunity to vary the maximum amount by mutual agreement.
To avoid the use of Box references in this part of the text where the Clause is incorporated into a non-BIMCO document, a reference is made to the place of arbitration and the law of the place to apply as mutually agreed between the parties.
Although BIMCO now has three Standard Law & Arbitration Clauses for users to select as appropriate to their needs, the more familiar ‘multiple choice’ format based on the three new clauses but with references to a box layout will still be maintained when new standard BIMCO documents are developed or existing ones revised.
The one-stop digital shop for all the standard maritime contracts and clauses you’ll ever need.
The shipping industry is facing an increase in new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) and an increase in the urgency to decarbonise. To support the industry, BIMCO has developed a portfolio of new emission trading scheme (ETS) clauses.
The shipping industry is facing an increase in new regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) and an increase in the urgency to decarbonise. To support the industry, BIMCO has developed a new CII Clause for Voyage Charter Parties. The clause was adopted by BIMCO’s Documentary Committee on 11 October and is the latest addition to BIMCO’s portfolio of carbon clauses.
The BIMCO Documentary Committee has adopted a CII Operations Clause for Time Charter Parties which will help the industry commercially navigate the complexities of the new CII regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
BIMCO providing information and guidance relating to fumigation of cargoes that are shipped under the IMSBC Code, the Grain Code and the IMDG Code.
New regulation from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which will require existing ships to reduce carbon emissions, is due to enter into force in just under one year. As compliance will benefit to a large extent from co-operation between shipowners and charterers, BIMCO has developed a new clause to address the changes.
BIMCO's Holiday Calendar covers general holidays in over 150 countries, plus local holidays and working hours in more than 680 ports around the world.
For general guidance and information on cargo-related queries.