Coronavirus & its Effect on Shipping & Trading

Hamish Norton is president of Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Until Dec. 31, 2012, he was Managing Director and Global Head of the Maritime group at Jefferies & Company Inc. He is known for creating Nordic American Tanker Shipping and Knightsbridge Tankers, the first two high dividend yield shipping companies. He advised Arlington Tankers in the merger with General Maritime and has been an advisor to U.S. Shipping Partners. He also advised New Mountain Capital on its investment in Intermarine. In the 1990s, he advised Frontline on the acquisition of London and Overseas Freighters and arranged the sale of Pacific Basin Bulk Shipping. Prior to joining Jefferies in 2007, Mr. Norton ran the shipping practice at Bear Stearns since 2000.

From 1984-1999 he worked at Lazard Frères & Co., from 1995 onward as general partner and head of shipping. In addition to his role at Star Bulk, he is also an executive of Oceanbulk Maritime S.A. and is Chief Financial Officer and Head of Corporate Development of Oceanbulk's joint ventures with Oaktree Distress Opportunities Funds and with Monarch Alternative Capital. Mr. Norton is a director of Neptune Lines and the Safariland Group. Mr. Norton received an AB in Physics from Harvard and a Ph. D. in Physics from University of Chicago.

Joe has served as chairman and CEO of the managers of the American Club, an International Group mutual which celebrates its centennial in 2017, for over twenty-two years. Joe also oversees the activities of Eagle Ocean Agencies, Inc., an affiliate of SCB, which operates the Eagle Ocean Marine and Eagle Ocean America insurance facilities. He also serves on the board of American Hellenic Hull Insurance Company, Ltd., a Cyprus-based hull underwriting investment of the American Club.

Having graduated from Oxford University, Joe was called to the Bar of England and Wales, thereafter specializing in maritime commercial law before commencing his career in marine insurance. Prior to his arrival in the United States, Joe worked for other P&I clubs in the United Kingdom and Norway, latterly serving as chairman of the global marine practice of Jardine Insurance Brokers, a leading Lloyd's broker in London.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Joe is chairman of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), secretary (and former president) of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey, a former chairman of the Association of Average Adjusters of the United States, a director of New York Maritime, Inc. (NYMAR) and a member of the National Cargo Bureau. Joe also serves on the classification committee of the American Bureau of Shipping, and the North American advisory committee of Lloyd's Register. He is a 2011 inductee of the International Maritime Hall of Fame, and was designated one of the top ten global marine insurance personalities in the 2016 Lloyd's List One Hundred.

Fabrizio Barcellona graduated from the Istituto Nautico San Giorgio di Genova as a Cadet Engineer in 1984. Following his studies he spent two years in service in the Italian navy working on board both coastguard and rescue vessels. Fabrizio then spent the next years working as an officer on board dry cargo vessels, tankers and cruise vessels in both the public and private sectors.

In 1993, Fabrizio joined the ITF as an inspector in Italy and took on the role of coordinator in 1996. After four years he then moved to London to start work in the ITF London office where he has held several positions including head of the ‘Actions’ unit and Manager of the Maritime Operations team. In 2011 Fabrizio took up his current position of Assistant Secretary of the ITF Seafarers, Fisheries and Inland Navigation sections where he assists the Secretary with all section political responsibilities and manages the day-to-day running of the team. This responsibility  include liaising  with specialised UN agencies like the IMO , ILO , FAO on a variety of technical, political and industrial matters.

Peter is a master mariner and disputes lawyer based in Hong Kong. He has considerable experience in high value and complex shipping, international trade and commercial disputes involving court, arbitration and mediation proceedings.

He offers a broad range of services to multinational trading companies, shipowners, charterers, oil majors, banks and insurers in all aspects of dispute resolution involving commercial shipping, trade, admiralty, marine insurance, salvage, pollution, investigations, risk management, regulatory compliance, shipbuilding, and sales and purchases.

Peter has a strong reputation for marine casualty investigation work, oil pollution, contamination and contractual disputes and is known for his unique ability to combine practical legal advice with technical knowledge and rigorous attention to detail.

In addition to his shipping, insurance and trade practice, Peter’s areas of focus include contract drafting, commercial litigation and international arbitration.

Peter is qualified in England and Wales, Hong Kong and Queensland, Australia.

Prior to qualifying as a lawyer, Peter served for 11 years at sea on tankers.

Honors and Awards
Ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific for China Shipping: Litigation (International Firms), 2020

Publications
4 February 2020 "Novel coronavirus and charterparty issues"
Ship Law Log; Co-Authors: Lianjun Li, Sally-Ann Underhill
4 February 2020 "Charterparty issues arising from the novel coronavirus"
Reed Smith Client Alerts; Co-Authors: Lianjun Li, Sally-Ann Underhill
31 January 2020 "Coronavirus - Brief note for the shipping industry"
Reed Smith Client Alerts; Co-Authors: Lianjun Li, Min Li, Jason Toms, Richard Lovell, Dan Perera, Andrew D. Taylor, Nick Austin, Sally-Ann Underhill, George Panagopoulos, Ana Atallah, Andrew Tetley, Greg Chase, Han Deng, Bernard Yee (Resource Law LLC), Collin Seah (Resource Law LLC)

Professional and Community Affiliations
London Maritime Arbitrators Association
Nautical Institute
Baltic Exchange

Dora is a finance partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in advising banks and owners in relation to general finance, ship finance, restructuring, secondary trade and leasing matters.

Her specialism is ship (including offshore) finance, including ECA-backed finance transactions, sale and purchase, leasing, joint ventures, shipbuilding contracts, ship registration matters, secondary trade transactions and restructuring. Dora has experience in these fields and regularly advises on high profile international financing and restructuring matters.

She acts for a broad range of international banks and other financial institutions, including export credit agencies as well as major ship owners and shipyards in relation to all types of vessels (LNGs, cargo vessels, containers, chemical tankers, VLCCs, yachts and cruise ships). She has particular experience in Europe, the USA and Asia.

Dora's direct, commercial, pro-active and pragmatic approach is highlighted and appreciated by clients. She has also contributed to the last two editions of the leading ship finance industry handbook, Shipping Finance.