Edgar Chin

Edgar has broad and in-depth experience in the shipping/admiralty, international trade and commercial sectors, with a strong focus on contentious matters. He regularly appears as lead counsel before all levels of courts in Singapore, as well as in arbitrations both ad-hoc and institutional, including under the SIAC, LCIA, and ICDR.

Edgar also has extensive and practical experience in the Protection and Indemnity (P&l) industry, having been a Claims Director at an International Group (IG) P&l Club, where he spent five years working closely with owners/operators, brokers and underwriters globally with a focus on Asia.

His legal expertise, combined with his significant experience at the IG P&l Club, ensures that Edgar has a fine-tuned understanding of the practical and commercial issues that clients face, and is therefore able to deliver solutions which are in the clients' best interests. In relation to non-contentious matters, Edgar regularly assists clients in drafting or advising on general contracts, charterparties, bills of lading, as well as advising on environmental, licensing, regulatory and employment issues.

Key industry sectors

• Shipping

Related services

• Dispute resolution and litigation
• International arbitration
• Insolvency and restructuring

Admissions

• Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore

Memberships and activities

• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Member, Singapore Academy of Law

Representative experience

• Acting for Vopak Terminals Singapore Pte Ltd in the Singapore High Court in its claim as jetty operator against owners of the vessel which collided with its jetty located on or about Pulau Sebarok.
• Acting as shipping specialists for the Judicial Managers of a marine transportation services company in the investigations into the practices of the company, taking statements from the relevant parties in relation to alleged claims arising out of contracts of carriages. 
• Acting for insurers/shipowners in respect of various major casualties and pollution incidents, including the collision involving the US Naval ship John S. McCain. (Owner/Operator was Stealth Maritime; P&I Club was UK P&I Club)
• Acting for terminal owners in various significant berth damage claims. (Vopak Terminals – they have had several berth damage claims over the years).
• Acting for a major Chinese oil and gas company and successfully defending claim by sellers under a contract for the sale of coal in an SIAC arbitration in Singapore.
• Successfully defending a claim by buyers under a contract for the sale of steel scrap in a VIAC arbitration in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• Acting for several shareholders of a shipping company holding a public towage license in a multimillion dollar shareholder dispute (Marina Towage).
• Acting for a major global container shipping company in a misdelivery claim (MSC).
• Acting for a shipowner in setting aside an arrest and successfully obtaining damages for wrongful arrest (Stealth Maritime).
• Obtaining a mandatory injunction for the enforcement of an LOI issued for delivery of cargo without presentation of original bills of lading (Golden Stena Weco).
• Obtaining and maintaining a Mareva injunction in circumstances where forged documents were produced by the respondent to deny liability.
• Acting for liquidators to claw-back unauthorised payments made to third parties (RSM).
• Acting for a shipowner against managers where significant expenses were incurred in excess of the budget (Siam Lucky Marine, subsidiary of Siam Gas).
• Acting for another shipowner against managers in respect of damage sustained by the managed vessel (PIL).
• Advising insurer on cover issues arising from a piracy hijacking of an insured vessel.