Maritime legal options in Rotterdam as attractive alternative for London
On Wednesday 15 November various UNUM experts participated in a knowledge driven lunch meeting in London that was organised by the Rotterdam Maritime Services Community (RMSC). During the well visited lunch the legal options in Rotterdam were presented as an attractive alternative for London to an international group of legal experts.
After a warm welcome by Mr Karel van Oosterom, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom (who hosted the lunch), Erik Witjens, chairman of the RMSC, kicked off by presenting the RMSC as an active trade association for the maritime business services cluster in the greater Rotterdam area.
Maritime legal options in Rotterdam
Next, Mr James M. Turner KC, English barrister and arbitrator on the list of UNUM delivered a key note leading to the conclusion that maritime legal options in Rotterdam compare rather well with the excellent facilities in London. The available maritime law expertise, the language skills of lawyers, arbitrators and Courts, the hands-on practice and affordable level of costs provide for legal options in Rotterdam.
This was followed by a key note by Mrs Christine Sikkel, a maritime judge, in which she outlined the strategic view of the Maritime Chamber of the Court of Rotterdam as focused on a concentration of maritime cases in Rotterdam and maintaining an international network of maritime and transport judges and working knowledge.
One stop shop to resolve disputes
UNUM chairman Mr Marcel Verhagen closed the business lunch with a well-received presentation of the history and advantages of UNUM arbitration as a ‘one stop shop’ to resolve disputes (even by default judgement when one of the parties fails to take action) in a practicable, affordable and experienced way. As an example, Mr Verhagen mentioned that under the Dutch system time and money will be saved due to the fact that Dutch procedural law does not require full disclosure of documents.
The co-operation between the Maritime Chamber and UNUM is one worth to note, to make dispute resolution happen in Rotterdam, the maritime capital of Europe!
