I have had over 50 years experience in shipping and trading matters, a large part of which was in senior management positions (Manager and General Manager) in maritime companies in India and the U.K. During this time I held responsibility for various matters including the manning, technical management and repairs to ships; negotiating and employing ship-chandlers, repair workshops, and other service providers, for the negotiations with underwriters for the insurance of the company’s ships, making and obtaining settlement of insurance claims; placement of vessels on P&I cover and liaising with the club,dealing with claims and disputes, and for the operational management of the Group ships. I had the responsibility for negotiating and concluding charterers and represented several of the companies on the Baltic Exchange during the 1980s. During the early 1990’s I held responsibility for my company’s trading of commodities from Eastern Europe and China to destinations in North and West Africa.

I was on the Director-General of Shipping’s panel of maritime arbitrators in Bombay and acted as arbitrator in half a dozen maritime disputes during the mid-1970s, before I moved to London. I have been arbitrating in London for over 15 years in Maritime and Commercial disputes. I have acted either as an arbitrator or Claims Handler in nearly 100disputes in the last 15 years, mainly relating to London arbitrations,and was appointed arbitrator in over 35 of them. My main work at present is as an Arbitrator or Claims handler. I am currently acting as arbitrator in half a dozen maritime arbitrations under LMAA terms.I undertook the responsibility for drafting Awards in more than half of the arbitrations where I was an arbitrator. My experience as arbitrator or Claims handler covers disputes referred to arbitration under LMAA, FOSFA, GAFTA, LCIA, ICC, ICA (International Cotton Association), RSA (Refined Sugar Association), ICA (Indian Council of Arbitration) and SCC (Stockhom Chamber of Commerce) Arbitration Rules.

I was an arbitrator in two major arbitrations under Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Arbitration terms. I have also acted as arbitrator in severalother non-maritimeLondon arbitrations. My co-arbitrators include senior London arbitrators including Messrs Bruce Harris, Christopher Moss, Clive Aston, John Tsatsas, Stewart Boyd QC and Alan Oakley, all of whom are known to me.

I assisted overseas clients in three London Mediations, which I attended with them: in all of which my clients were successful. I acted for an overseas client who had two arbitration awards issued against him by a Singapore arbitration tribunal. Acting through a Singapore firm of solicitors, we applied to the Singapore courts and were successful in having both the awards set aside.

I used to lecture on a part-time basis for several years at the London Guildhall University teaching “Port Agency” to professional students appearing for the Membership examinations of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers(ICS) until they discontinued the courses when they merged to become London Metropolitan University. I lectured on “Port Agency” for several years thereafter, for Maritime Educational & Training Ltd (“MTL”), who took over conducting courses for students appearing for ICS Examinations.

I am a Chartered Shipbroker, a Supporting Member of the London Maritime Arbitrators’ Association (LMAA), a member of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; The International Commodity & Shipping Arbitration Service (ICSAS), and a Fellow of the Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA).I was an arbitrator on the arbitrators panel of The Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA), and arbitrated in several disputes, but ceased to be on the arbitrator’s panel upon reaching the age of 75 last year.