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Charles Debattista practises as a barrister and as an arbitrator in high-value international commercial disputes. Apart from representing parties in disputes at all levels of the English Courts and arbitral tribunals, he is also regularly engaged to provide expert opinions on English law abroad on areas of his expertise.
Charles attracts instructions and appointments in all aspects of dry shipping disputes, international sales of commodities and other goods, letters of credit and bank guarantees, energy, ship management, and super-yacht disputes and more general international commercial contract matters.
Testimonials
A highly skilled advocate with a calm demeanour in hearings, excelling at presenting complex arguments in a compelling way.Legal 500, 2025
Applies his expert knowledge to find innovative legal answers to difficult questionsLegal 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 has a deep knowledge on shipping and commercial law. Chambers & Partners Global Guide 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 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
On shipping matters
- Instructed by Charterers in an off-hire case where issues arose as to the precise point of redelivery where they were to redeliver the vessel on “dropping last outward sea pilot” where no such point existed.
- Instructed by a steel trader in the High Court in a shortage claim where bills of lading stated quantities known by the carrier to be inconsistent with VGM values on the carrier’s shipping database.
- Instructed by Owners in a hire dispute where Charterers withheld hire for a period during which the vessel was under arrest.
- Instructed by Owners whose vessel was ordered to make for a Ukrainian port: safe port warranty and force majeure clause issues.
- Instructed by a logistics platform drafting contractual rules for electronic bills of lading and electronic bills of exchange.
On commodities matters
- Instructed by a crude oil trader in the High Court seeking to enforce a judgment for c£50m, involving injunctions for disclosure, preservation and freezing of assets under CPR Part 25 and also involving the undoing of fraudulent transactions under section 428 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
- Instructed by a coal trader in an LCIA arbitration in a dispute valued at over USD40m arising from the termination of a sale contract on SCOTA terms after fire damage at the relevant storage terminal.
- Instructed by 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.
- Instructed by a party wishing to challenge an Award under section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996 on the basis that a notification of force majeure had been served by WhatsApp.
On arbitration law Matters
- Instructed by a provider of aviation services in an ICC arbitration challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal in a case involving an overarching Consortium Agreement concluded in an African State and several Service Agreements containing differently worded agreements to arbitrate: issues relating to the Fiona Trust decision and the “centre of gravity” of multiple contracts with conflicting arbitration clauses.
- Settled submissions for a respondent to a FOSFA arbitration challenging the jurisdiction of tribunal in a case involving two contracts said to have been concluded by multiple parties, the central issue being whether the contracts (and their agreements to arbitrate) had actually developed from mere negotiations to concluded contracts.
- Instructed by a party defending an Award against challenge for procedural irregularity under section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 on the basis, among others, that cross-examination was unfairly conducted.
- Instructed by a party to advise on a section 24 application for removal of an arbitrator by the High Court.
Started arbitrating in 2002 and has been appointed in hundreds of 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.
LMAA terms
- Umpire on a bifurcated jurisdictional challenge in a demurrage case
- Lead arbitrator in a reference seated in Hong Kong arising under a ship sale contract.
- Chaired a Tribunal in a high-value super-yacht refurbishment contract.
- Sole arbitrator in a dispute arising out of the 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).
- Laytime and demurrage, raising difficult procedural problems with one party situated in a warzone making participation in the reference difficult.
- Various off-hire and deduction of hire disputes
LCIA
Sole arbitrator in a reference involving complex issues relating to the separability of an agreement to arbitrate and the effect of 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
HKIAC
Reference relating to a USD100,000,000 credit facility agreement with a sovereign State
Swiss Arbitration Centre
Party-appointed arbitrator in a reference arising out of a sale of goods contract for steel valued at just under USD2,000,000.
Malta Arbitration Centre
Chaired a Tribunal in a reference in a EUR1.5m reference arising out of a superyacht refurbishment contract under ICOMIA Standard Yacht Refit/Repaid Terms.
Further information
- Baltic Exchange
- LMAA, Supporting Member
- Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitrators
- Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
- Shanghai International Arbitration Centre
- British Maritime Law Association
- 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 was Director of the Institute of Maritime Law for many years.
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 with increasing concern the dissonance of modern politics (in that order…)