The final edition of CJC Currents for 2025 provides an opportunity to take stock of another strong year for Campbell Johnston Clark as the company marked its 15th anniversary.

Campbell Johnston Clark (CJC) ended its 15th anniversary year with a flourish by opening new offices in Genoa, after reaching an agreement to engage an established team of maritime lawyers focusing on both English and Italian law. In a year which also saw appointments and promotions from within, the firm continued to grow its activities across casualty handling, maritime disputes and ship finance, and all that happens in between.

Where contentious work was concerned, this issue features the significant English Court of Appeal judgment on Solomon Trader which confirmed the continuing validity of pay first clauses in the context of marine liability insurance policies. CJC acted for the successful P&I underwriters, in a case which reaffirmed that a pay to be paid provision does not become onerous or unusual merely because of the potential hardship it may cause to an insured (or third parties) in the event of insolvency. Rather, such clauses are a recognised and longstanding feature of the marine insurance market. 

CJC has also been instructed to act for Owners and insurers of Stena Immaculate, the oil tanker which was struck while at anchor off the coast of East Yorkshire in the North Sea on 10 March 2025 by the container ship Solong.

Earlier in the year, we were also able to share news of CJC’s success in representing Maersk A/S against a claim brought in the High Court by Stournaras Stylianos Monoprosopi Epe as consignee, after the consignee learned that it had been defrauded by the shippers. The trial judge was asked to decide whether, on the facts of this case, the Court should create a new duty of care. Whilst the trial judge made a non-binding comment that a carrier ought not to issue an unclaused B/L where it has notice of fraud committed by a Shipper, it was obiter dictum and this case (a) does not create a new legal duty for carriers; and (b) nor does it change the effect of any of the carrier’s usual exclusions and limitations.

The year also proved exceptional for our transactional team. Highlights included

• Advising a fund acting for a group of private investors on their acquisition - together with a minority shareholder ship manager – of four 3,000 TEU feeder vessels, by way of a share acquisition from an investment fund. Deal value US$164,300,000.
• Acting for an affiliate of an established asset management fund on 13 sale and leaseback refinancings with three Chinese leasing houses (each for a value of between US$75-90m) and one new financing with one of those lessors. The deal value was US$183,883,749.
• Advising on the inward redomiciliation to Singapore of one of the world’s largest independent tonnage providers and the concurrent restructuring of its financing arrangements.
• Providing English, Marshall Islands and Liberian law advice on the listing of Yangzijiang Maritime Development on the Singapore Exchange valued at $1.5bn.