CHRISTOPHER MOSS

 Past President, London Maritime

Christopher Moss has been acting as an independent arbitrator and mediator since 1982, initially combining these activities with full-time employment in the shipping industry but since 1998, on a full-time basis.

In that time he has published more than a thousand arbitration awards in a wide range of disputes, including all types of charterparty and ship management disputes, as well as ship and oil rig building disputes and every type of sale and purchase dispute, from super tankers to luxury yachts.

He has been involved as an arbitrator in a considerable number of cases which have gone to the House of Lords/ Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in England, notable amongst them being The “Hill Harmony” (concerning the entitlement of a charterer to give orders as to the course to be followed by the chartered vessel ), The “Achilleas” ( remoteness of damages ) and The “Nogar Marin” (concerning the obligations of a ship’s master to clause bills of lading ).

A graduate in jurisprudence of Oxford University, he was called to the Bar in 1972 and practised in the field of general common law (including crime ! ) before joining Thomas R. Miller, managers of the U.K. P & I and Defence Clubs in 1975. In 1980 he joined the Globtik Group of companies, owners and operators of crude oil tankers, as legal adviser and then as a director. In 1987 he became involved with a sub-sea exploration and operating company as legal adviser before pursuing his career as a full-time arbitrator.

He comes from a long line of seafarers and small ship owners and is a keen solo yachtsman, with an interest in all things nautical.