Nick Austin

Partner – Head of Maritime & Offshore

London

Nick resolves disputes for clients in the shipping and commodities sectors, specialising in arbitration, court and mediation proceedings.

D +44 20 7809 2608 M +44 7801 019 831

email | vCard

Awards and Recognition

"Nick Austin is particularly adept at advising on shipping disputes. His clients include traders, charterers and P&I clubs. Austin is known for his expertise in the Asian shipping markets... Nick is very knowledgeable, client-oriented and great to work with."

Chambers UK 2025

“Nick is very talented. His advice is invariably clear, precise, timely and understandable. His personal qualities are that he is approachable, accessible and able to bring clarity to issues. Nick’s knowledge of the industry and his complete reliability are exemplary and his services are a valuable asset to our company.”

The Legal 500

Biography

Language - English

He represents a wide range of shipowners, P&I and hull insurers, charterers and commodity traders across the world, with a notable focus on Europe, Japan and Singapore.

Nick is Head of the Maritime and Offshore group at Stephenson Harwood. He specialises in shipping and international trading disputes in court, arbitration and mediation. He acts for shipowners and operators, charterers and traders in a wide range of dry shipping and commodity disputes, including charterparty, bill of lading, and ESG issues including maritime decarbonisation. He supports clients in the extractive and LNG sectors on their transportation needs and maintains strong links in the Japanese and wider Asian markets.

Nick lectures on shipping and trade issues, speaking at events organised by Lloyds Maritime Academy, ASDEM, Coaltrans, and Mennta Energy Solutions. He has handled several leading shipping cases including The Eternal Bliss, The Seagrace and The Genius Star 1.

Nick is an Executive Committee member of the British Maritime Law Association and sits on the Council of the London Shipping Law Centre. He is a supporting member of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association and a Trustee of the Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship (MLOCS), a registered charity.

Experience

Shipping Litigation
- K Line Pte Ltd v Priminds Shipping (HK) Co Ltd (The Eternal Bliss) [2020] EWHC 2373 (Comm) – acted for the claimants in the Commercial Court and Court of Appeal on the unresolved question of whether shipowners can recover damages in addition to demurrage for non-delay losses caused by a failure to discharge within the laytime.
- Acting for BHP Billiton against the TMT group in a claim for over $130 million under forward freight agreements; successful cross-border enforcement of judgment obtained in the English courts.
P&I Clubs
- Formulating and drafting the defence rules and war risks rules for the newly merged NorthStandard P&I Club.
- MH. Progress Lines SA v. Orient Shipping Rotterdam BV (The Genius Star 1) [2011] EWHC 3083 (Comm): advising in an important case on conflicting time bars in the Inter-Club Agreement and its incorporating charterparty.
Shipowners and Operators
- Glencore Energy UK Ltd v. OMV Supply & Trading Ltd (The Seagrace) [2018] EWHC 895 (Comm): representing the successful claimant in a dispute over whether a period spent waiting during a cargo voyage was subject to a contractual demurrage regime.