BIMCO has today announced that top shipping lawyer Lindsay East, from Reed Smith, will tutor its new eLearning module on Voyage Chartering, with the first class starting in October 2014.

Taking the great complexity of voyage chartering into consideration, BIMCO’s new module will highlight important problem areas and explore ways in which parties attempt to allocate risk between themselves. Providing the participants with a balanced understanding of the relevant legal principles and practise, the module covers the following topics extensively:

the nature of voyage charters

voyage charters and other trading and carriage contracts

the negotiation and fixing of a voyage charter

the ship owners’ duties to vessel, voyage and cargo

the charterers’ duties to cargo, port and payment

laytime, demurrage and despatch

liens

defences to liability

limitation of liability

paramount clauses

law and jurisdiction.

Miaojia Liu, Chief Education Officer at BIMCO, said:

“We know that voyage chartering is a complex area for shipping and we’re delighted with the content we have prepared for our newest eLearning module.

“Our eLearning programme has been running for three years and attracted close to 200 shipping companies from over 50 countries to use the system – with very positive feedback. This new module will be a very welcome addition to our courses.

“We’re very pleased that Lindsay East, known as one of the top lawyers in shipping, will make his 40 years of expertise available for our participants and help them to explore and understand the complexities of voyage chartering.”

BIMCO’s eLearning platform offers highly interactive study material, thorough tutor support, peers from all over the world, case study and group work plus online teaching sessions. The entirely web-based courses offer great flexibility and lower overall cost which enables our participants to manage their daily jobs and study at the same time. So far, five modules have been made available which cover some of the most important subjects in shipping business.

After three years of continuous development and promotion, BIMCO’s eLearning programme has gained high levels of recognition in the industry. Hundreds of shipping professionals from 50 countries have joined the programme, with many becoming repeat customers.

Our tutor

Mr. Lindsay East has been involved in the practice of maritime law for over 40 years. He qualified at Richards Butler (now Reed Smith) in 1973 and became a Partner in 1977. Lindsay has been the head of Reed Smith’s Shipping Group for six years and in 2014, he became a Consultant to the firm.

He has dealt with all kinds of dry shipping law during the course of his career, ranging from Charterparty disputes, Bill of Lading disputes, Sale and Purchase disputes, Shipbuilding Contracts and, latterly, to the drafting of litigation involving LNG charter parties and super yachts. He also specialised in the drafting and interpretation of Club Rules.

Lindsay has been nominated as “one of the UK’s top 20 shipping lawyers” by Legal 500 in 2009 and cited as an “outstanding shipping lawyer” by Legal 500 and Chambers for the last 15 years. He has also been named as a “Super Lawyer” for shipping law and one of the “Best Lawyers – Shipping”, both in 2013.