Will we face more difficulties in contract performance?

As expected, global quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemics essentially affected shipping and international trade in Black Sea Region.

For the last week, three clients applied to Interlegal:

1. Ukrainian large oilseed trader filed a request for consulting on the following: options for contract termination due to soybean oil market price reduction. Interlegal lawyers analyzed contractual documentation and correspondence and granted recommendations concerning options and risks for contract termination.

2. Charterers under trade contract filed a request for consulting on the following: actions to be taken in case of impossibility to deliver cargo to the destination port due to restrictions at the discharging port. Interlegal English Law experts analyzed provisions of Gencon-94 Proforma applied by the Client and provided consulting upon demurrage payment in this certain case.

3. Third case covered artificial bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service in order to replace crew of the vessel staying at the Ukrainian sea port roadstead. Both agent and shipowner faced sanitary officers’ misunderstanding of crew replacement procedure and the fact of artificial tightening quarantine measures. Prompt actions of Interlegal lawyers Vitalii Tolstik and Dmitri Ochkolias eliminated bureaucratic obstacles and facilitated crew replacement.