Charles Debattista practises as a barrister and as an arbitrator in high-value international commercial disputes, in which areas he also has an established advisory practice, regularly providing expert opinions on English law before foreign courts and arbitral tribunals.
He has extensive experience in all aspects of charterparties, bills of lading, cif and fob disputes, letters of credit and bank guarantees, energy disputes, ship management issues, super-yacht disputes and more generally general international commercial contract disputes. He has recently advised on shipping disputes in the context of the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Red Sea.
Testimonials
A highly skilled advocate with a calm demeanour in hearings, excelling at presenting complex arguments in a compelling way.Legal 500, 2025
Charles is a highly skilled advocate with a calm demeanour in hearings, who excels in presenting complex arguments in a compelling way.Legal 500, 2025
Charles is very quick to get to the nub of issues.Chambers UK, 2025
He utilises his previous experience as an arbitrator to add value and discuss cases.Chambers UK, 2025
Charles is a seasoned player.Chambers UK, 2025
He is intelligent and good at the crossover between commodities and shipping.Chambers UK, 2025
Charles is excellent to work with.Chambers UK, 2025
Charles knows more about commodities litigation than almost anyone and provides clear advice on both the legal and commercial elements of the matterLegal 500 2024
Charles is an expert and knowledgeable barrister with an outstanding intellect.Legal 500 2024
Charles has a deep knowledge on shipping and commercial law.
Chambers & Partners Global Guide 2025
Charles has a unique combination of academic skill and commercial acumen.
Chambers & Partners 2023
He has an outstanding intellect, his submissions carry real authority, and he is tenacious and fights his client’s corner with the utmost charm.Legal 500 2022
Areas of expertise
Shipping
Advice to a shipowner regarding statements about the condition of goods shipped two months before the issue of a bill of lading
Advice to shipowners whose vessel was ordered to make for a Ukrainian port: safe port warranty and force majeure clause.
Advice to shipowners on deductions from hire: off hire and deduction clauses.
Advice regarding duty to pay hire for a time-chartered vessel under arrest.
Represented a steel trader in the High Court in a shortage claim where bills of lading made quantity statements knowingly inconsistent with VGM values.
Advice to a logistics platform drafting contractual rules for electronic bills of lading and electronic bills of exchange.
Commodities
Represented a crude oil trader in the High Court seeking to undo a transfer of funds intended to avoid payment of a judgment debt: section 428 of the Companies Act 1986 and injunctions under CPR Part 25.
Represented a coal trader in an LCIA arbitration in a dispute arising from the termination of a sale contract after fire damage at the relevant storage terminal.
Advised an oilseed trader on a number of arbitrations brought against it by buyers for non-delivery of goods affected by export embargoes imposed by the Indian Government.
Arbitration
Advised on a possible section 24 application for removal of an arbitrator by the High Court.
Regularly instructed to challenge awards in the High Court under sections 67, 68 or 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996.
Advised a provider of medical relief helicopters, a respondent in an ICC arbitration, in a successful challenge to a tribunal’s jurisdiction in a case involving multiple contracts sharing an agreement to arbitrate.
Has been appointed in ad hoc and institutional arbitrations as sole arbitrator, chair, or party-appointed sitting regularly with retired judges from England and Wales or from foreign jurisdictions; with KCs and with Full Members of the LMAA.
Recent appointments have included:
LMAA terms
disputes under a super-yacht refurbishment contract – ongoing.
allegedly premature termination of a charterparty, raising particularly difficult issues under section 41(3) of the Arbitration Act 1996 (strike-out for want of prosecution).
deductions from hire and damages for the costs of de-fouling a vessel.
laytime and demurrage, raising difficult procedural problems with one party situated in a warzone making participation in the reference difficult.
LCIA
a sale of wheat dispute raising complex issues relating to sanctions and illegality.
MMTA (minor metals)
sale of metal rods values at just under USD1,000,000, settled soon after Terms of Reference agreed.
HKIAC
reference relating to a USD100,000,000 credit facility agreement with a sovereign State – ongoing.
Swiss Arbitration Centre
sale of goods contract for steel valued at just under USD2,000,000.
Malta Arbitration Centre, International Arbitration Panel
Minor Metals Trade Association, Arbitrators’ Panel
ICC Commission for Commercial Law and Practice
Grain and Animal Feed Trade Association
Middle Temple
In an earlier life, Charles was Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Southampton and published prolifically in his areas of expertise. Publications included books on:
the Rotterdam Rules,
the Singapore Ship Sale Form
the Transfer of Property in International Sales;
as well as a large number of articles in the main academic shipping law journals.
Charles was also closely involved with the drafting of several important legislative instruments: the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1992, Incoterms 2010, 2010 and 2020, and the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP600).
MA University of Oxford (1983)
BA (Hons) (Juris), University of Oxford, Rhodes Scholar, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford (1979)
LLD, Royal University of Malta (1977)
English, Italian and Maltese
Appreciates the harmony of classical music and observes the dissonance of modern politics (in that order….)