Pacific Carriers Ltd v BNP Paribas

High Court decision in Pacific Carriers v BNP Paribas, that BNP Paribas was estopped from denying the authority of its manager to sign the documents on its behalf will be a relief to third parties who rely on documents signed for and on behalf of financial institutions - particularly to those involved in the shipping industry who seek letters of indemnity relating to discharge of cargo without production of bills of lading.

Views from Hamburg : the Juno Trader case or how to make sense of the coastal State's rights in the light of its duty of prompt release

Special edition: The United Nations and international legal order - the case of the Juno Trader - on 18 December 2004, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered the prompt release of a refrigerated cargo vessel and its cargo for fisheries violations in an exclusive economic zone - Tribunal unanimously decided that the vessel and cargo be released, upon posting of a bond in the form of a bank guarantee - crew should be free to leave without conditions - in this case, on prompt release, the Tribunal made valuable contributions to existing case law on the issue - shows that specialised tribunals may perform a decentralised application of the international rule of law - crystallises international fundamental standards of fairness and human rights.