Grain Trade.
Contracts. Disputes.

A safe berth issue is not always about storms or rocks. In one FOSFA arbitration, the real danger came from outdated depth information the master was entitled to rely on.

In a GAFTA dispute, there is no magic certificate that proves force majeure. What matters is contemporaneous evidence: agent emails, Notices to Mariners, terminal correspondence, AIS data, and a clear causal link to non-performance of the actual contract.

The closure of the Azov-Don Sea Canal does not automatically create force majeure. Under GAFTA and English law, everything turns on the contract wording, timely notice, evidence, and the actual impact on performance.

An arbitration notice sent to an employee who lacks authority may not commence the arbitration at all. In Glencore v Conqueror, that defect was enough to set aside the award.

GAFTA 49 is the standard FOB form: who nominates the vessel, how extension works, what GAFTA 123, 124 and 125 add to your contract, and where FOB sellers and buyers lose money.

Quality figures in a wheat contract are only useful if the method, basis, sample and laboratory are clear. Without those details, a certificate can quickly become a dispute.

An arbitration clause may look like a formality until performance breaks down. If it is vague, the first dispute may be about how to start the arbitration at all.