Today, renowned legal media China Business Law Journal (CBLJ) officially announced its 2023 Deals of the Year awards. The "M/V 'Toyo Maru' Voyage Charter Party Dispute" case, handled by Globe-Law Dalian Office partners Liu Rong and Jiang Yun, was honored in the "Cross-Border Dispute Resolution" category.

Case Highlight: "M/V 'Toyo Maru' Voyage Charter Party Dispute"

Lead Attorneys: Liu Rong, Jiang Yun

Key Summary:

• The Dalian Maritime Court ruled that the fertilizer company must pay $61,920 in demurrage fees plus interest to Maximus Company.
• The fertilizer company appealed, but the Liaoning High People’s Court upheld the original judgment.

Case Background:

In 2018, Maximus Company (Owner) entered into a voyage charter party with Xinyi Company (Charterer) for the M/V Toyo Maru. Later, the fertilizer company (Shipper) signed a separate charter party with Maximus, confirming its acceptance of the vessel for this voyage.

Upon arrival at Banjarmasin Port, Indonesia, the vessel discharged 6,000+ tons of fertilizer. After deducting rain-related stoppages and the agreed 7-day free time for unloading, demurrage and bunker costs were incurred. Maximus argued that Xinyi was a foreign-trade shell entity controlled by the fertilizer company and sought joint liability for payment.

Significance & Recognition

This case was selected by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) in June 2023 as one of 2022’s Top Maritime Trial Cases. The SPC noted:

"This dispute arose during China’s supply of infrastructure materials to a Belt and Road Initiative country. The Chinese courts upheld international commercial norms... safeguarding the legitimate interests of Hong Kong parties, setting a precedent for similar cross-border maritime disputes."

Globe-Law’s Expertise

With decades of experience, Globe-Law has built exceptional capabilities in legal services, earning repeated accolades from Chambers, ALB, and CBLJ. This award reaffirms:

• Our practitioner excellence in complex cross-border matters
• Our market-leading influence in maritime and commercial dispute resolution