ENGLISH LAW·July 2026
Force Majeure: Do Not Wait for a Certificate. Build the File.
When disruption hits, the market starts hunting for the right certificate. Under English law and in GAFTA arbitration, there is no magical document. What matters is contemporaneous evidence and its connection to performance of the actual contract.
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ENGLISH LAW·July 2026
ADMK Closed? Open the Contract First
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.
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DISPUTES·July 2026
Wrong Address, Lost Award: Serving an Arbitration Notice Properly
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.
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CONTRACTS·July 2026
GAFTA 49 Explained: How the FOB Standard Form Works
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.
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EXECUTION·July 2026
Wheat Quality: A Guide for the Reasonably Suspicious
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.
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CONTRACTS·June 2026
Arbitration Clause: When a Friendly Deal Stops Being Friendly
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.
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FREIGHT·June 2026
WIBON: Five Letters That Can Cost a Week of Waiting
WIBON helps where the vessel is kept out because no berth is available. It does not automatically turn weather or navigation delay into charterer’s risk.
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DISPUTES·June 2026
A Dispute Has Arisen: How to Start a GAFTA Arbitration and What Happens Next
A GAFTA arbitration begins with the contract, the arbitration clause and the time bar. The procedure is mainly written, but deadlines, evidence, costs, appeals and enforcement all require early decisions.
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