Contact details

Nikki Chu

T: +44 20 7809 2631 M: +44 7739 188268 Email Nikki | vCard Office: London

Awards

Winner - The i-law Maritime Law Award

Winner - The i-law Maritime Law Award

Nikki Chu Managing associate

Contact details

Nikki Chu

Nikki Chu
Managing associate

T: +44 20 7809 2631 M: +44 7739 188268 Email Nikki | vCard Office: London

Nikki is a managing associate and has over ten years' experience as a disputes and commercial lawyer for clients in the marine and international trade sector, including one year on secondment to an International Group P&I Club in London. She is an experienced litigator and adopts a practical and commercial approach to ensure that disputes are resolved in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
  • Profile
  • Services

She is a shipping and LNG specialist focusing on dispute resolution and negotiating/drafting charterparties and shipping contracts. Nikki regularly acts for shipowners, charterers, traders, cargo interests and their insurers and she collaborates well with in-house legal teams and P&I case handlers.

Nikki deals with all types of dry shipping matters, including charterparty, bill of lading, cargo and shipbuilding disputes. She has worked on numerous major incidents involving container vessels including container stack collapses, cargo fires and engine room fires.

She is experienced in dealing with FD&D and P&I matters (in particular, demurrage, freight/deadfreight and hire claims and cases with a real-time element). She routinely pursues demurrage claims for her clients and her deep knowledge of the industry and the issues that can arise enables her to successfully advise clients on the prospects of recovery. She has also been instructed on unsafe berth and bunker disputes.

Nikki has an in-depth knowledge of defending and pursuing cargo claims on behalf of owners, charterers and their insurers. In particular, advising on numerous cargo claims against owners and dealing with high value and complex off-specification cargo claims.

Her expertise extends to obtaining injunctive relief and she has successfully obtained anti-suit injunctive relief to restrain foreign proceedings and other interim injunctions on an urgent basis.

Nikki is the Chief Editor of Well Heeled, Stephenson Harwood's bulletin for clients engaged in LNG and gas transportation, trading and offshore production. She is experienced in LNG shipping and has advised clients on LNG and new gas charterparties as well as LNG claims. Her expertise also extends to drafting LPG charters.

She is passionate about improving diversity within the legal industry and is a Charity Trustee for Stephenson Harwood's scholarship scheme and a Professional Ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors.

"Highly resourceful and able shipping lawyer, with an acute commercial awareness of the shipping industry. Nikki has provided an outstanding legal advice and has argued our cases brilliantly and powerfully in a number of dry cases, where we have instructed her to act for us, leading to a beneficial settlement."
Captain Georgi Yorgakiev (General Manager), "K" Line Bulk Shipping (UK) Ltd.

  • Marine and international trade
  • Shipping litigation
  • Container ship fires and stack collapses: Acting for owners, charterers and P&I insurers in relation to the dry shipping aspects of casualties, including handling containerised cargo claims, advising on contractual liabilities and complex technical issues.
  • Nikki has handled a variety of demurrage and off-hire disputes for Owners, Charterers and their P&I insurers arising out of a range of issues, including hi-jacking, collision and main engine breakdown of vessels.
  • Advised carrier in relation to contractual liabilities arising out of the carriage of LPG cargoes.
  • Advised on claims arising out of the technical management of the vessel.
  • Advised on the issues arising out of the insolvency of the OW Bunkers Group.

More: Marine and international trade

Termination issues

Advised clients on termination issues including:

  • High-value dispute relation to the termination of newbuild vessels including advice on the underlying shipbuilding contract and liquidated damages.
  • LMAA arbitration arising from the termination of a Charterparty after the vessel failed a PSC inspection.

Cargo claims

Nikki is experienced in dealing with cargo claims (including containerised, oil and gas, dangerous and bulk cargoes) and time bar issues.  Highlights include:

  • Acted for a Global Commodities Trader in Court proceedings in a FO380 contamination claim. Advised on measure of loss and recoverability of damages.
  • Advised cargo interests in Court Proceedings in relation to off-specification butadiene claims.

Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding disputes under the LMAA and SIAC Rules involving highly technical issues relating to complex deficiencies and the construction of vessels.

More: Shipping litigation

Awards

Winner - The i-law Maritime Law Award

Winner - The i-law Maritime Law Award

Latest news & insights

15 Mar 2022

From Insights

LNG chartering – amendments to period time charterparties for a single voyage?

The LNG industry has been changing in the past decades and there has been a shift from chartering LNG carriers on a long-term basis to a short- or mid-term basis.

More

19 Jan 2022

From Insights

Liability for general average and incorporation of charterparty war risks terms in bills of lading (Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor—The ‘M/V POLAR’)

Partner Richard Hugg and senior associate Nikki Chu have written a case analysis on the recent Court of Appeal decision in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor — The ‘M/V P..

More

22 Oct 2021

From Insights

Well Heeled - Edition 6 2021

Welcome to the sixth edition of Well Heeled, Stephenson Harwood's bulletin for clients engaged in LNG and gas transportation, trading and offshore production.

More

14 Oct 2021

From Insights

Demurrage time bar—completion of discharge and applicable time zone (Euronav NV v Repsol Trading SA)

Nikki Chu has written a case analysis on Euronav NV v. Repsol Trading SA concerning demurrage time bars [2021] EWHC 2565 (Comm). This article was first published by Le..

More

07 Jan 2021

From Insights

Well Heeled - Edition 5 2020

Welcome to the fifth edition of Well Heeled, Stephenson Harwood's bulletin for clients engaged in LNG and gas transportation, trading and offshore production.

More

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