Explanatory notes

Utsav Mathur

Utsav Mathur is a Partner, commodity trading, shipping, and offshore energy lawyer based in Norton Rose Fulbright’s Houston office. Utsav’s practice spans disputes (litigation and arbitration), regulatory, and certain transactional work. Utsav represents energy companies and commodity traders on disputes arising from physical commodity trading activity and any related marine, pipeline or rail transportation activity. He also advises on pre-disputes issues and assists traders in resolving contentious matters prior to initiation of litigation or arbitration. Utsav also acts on charter party disputes, pollution incidents, Rule B and C proceedings, cargo claims, collisions, allisions, and other marine casualties. Utsav routinely assists commodity trading and energy clients avoid disputes and mitigate risks by advising on and negotiating the slate of contracts typically implicated in commodity trading, storage, and transportation activity. Utsav also assists financial institutions and lenders enforce security interests against vessels through mortgage foreclosure litigation under the Commercial Instruments and Maritime Liens Act. Utsav has represented energy companies with upstream, midstream, or downstream commercial litigation matters. In addition, Utsav advises clients on significant offshore energy projects. He has represented developers, contractors, and vessel owners on US offshore wind projects, with particular emphasis on unique Jones Act, Cargo Preference Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and US general maritime law issues related to such projects. Moreover, he has assisted clients on a variety of other energy infrastructure projects, including the construction of crude oil pipelines, deepwater ports, FPSO charter/O&M agreements, and LNG-fuelled offshore power generation facilities. He has advised companies on litigation risks related to subsea pipeline construction, relocation, and ruptures. Utsav routinely advocates for clients on matters involving the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, and US Maritime Administration. Public companies and private investors also consult Utsav on structuring investments in the US Jones Act shipping market. Utsav’s exposure to the maritime industry began early in life as he descends from a family of mariners and has spent time at sea.

Daniel Carr

Daniel Carr is Assistant General Counsel at Stolt-Nielsen USA Inc. Dan is a 1991 graduate of Suffolk University Law School and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. Dan has served in this capacity with Stolt-Nielsen since 2000. Dan provides operational and transactional legal support across the core businesses of the Company (parcel tankers, terminals, tank containers and rail). Areas of legal support include advice relating to voyage and time charters, bills of lading, anti-piracy, trade restrictions, antitrust, among other areas. In addition, Dan manages a large segment of litigation and arbitration involving each of the Company’s core businesses. Prior to joining Stolt-Nielsen, Dan was with the maritime firm Healy & Baillie LLP for 3 years, and prior to that, Dan spent 5 years with Skuld P&I Club in Oslo, Norway, as a Senior Claims Executive. Dan currently serves as Owner representative (United States) at the BIMCO Documentary Committee.

Background

Case study: Stowaways on board - How did they get there?

Jean-Paul Dezutter

Jean-Paul is a former shipbroker, laytime, and operations expert who manages laytime and demurrage cases globally. Through Demurrage Desk, he designs tailored contracts and clauses to optimise and mitigate laytime risk. In addition, he provides personalised consultancy services to stakeholders, such as ports, law firms, P&I clubs, technology companies, and start-ups, focusing on process analysis and optimization. His work includes designing workflow and process strategies, identifying and mitigating operational risks, facilitating organisational changes, and building resilience in response to the fast-changing maritime industry. Jean-Paul’s expertise mainly focuses on dry shipping, including charter parties (voyage, time, demise), laytime & demurrage, and speed & performance claims. He holds certificates in Ship Chartering, Ship Finance, Maritime Disputes & Arbitration, and Laytime & Demurrage. As a CIArb accredited mediator and supporting member of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, he advises and assists in the commercial resolution of laytime and demurrage disputes. He also lectures laytime & demurrage and ship operations at various organisations, universities, institutes, and forums.

Explanatory notes

Background

Sale & Purchase Seminar

The Sale & Purchase (S&P) Masterclass examines the mechanisms and processes behind the sale and purchase of vessels.

Thor Maalouf

Thor advises on all aspects of commercial shipping and maritime law, in particular charter parties, bills of lading, shipbuilding contracts, luxury yacht charters, charters for project cargo, and contracts for shipping and freight services, including multi-modal transport and logistics. She also advises in relation to reorganisations of freight services provision, electronic bills of lading, exploration of the sea bed, and oil pollution incidents where the civil liability convention applies. Thor joined the firm as a trainee in August 2007 and qualified into shipping litigation in September 2009. As a member of the Shipping and Transportation Group, her advice helps clients to reach pragmatic and commercial solutions to disputes but she also has in-depth experience of mediation, litigation in the English Courts, and of LMAA and GAFTA arbitration. Thor has a diverse range of clients, including global commodities traders, international mining companies, shipping companies, P&I clubs, investment funds interested in shipping, investment banks with trading arms, shipowners, and luxury yacht brokers and their clients. Working with such diverse clients has given Thor unusually broad experience and expertise within the shipping and logistics industry.