Florence Preux

Legal Director

Florence advises on a wide range of contentious shipping matters, including charterparty disputes, bills of lading, cargo claims, shipbuilding disputes and sale and purchase disputes. She has a strong interest in matters involving pollution and related legal issues. Her clients include shipowners, charterers, insurers, commodity traders and shipyards.

Florence has extensive experience in London arbitration, High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings She regularly oversees and coordinates matters involving proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. She has been involved in the reference of preliminary questions to the CJEU and has also filed complaints in the European Court of Human Rights and before the UN Human Rights Committee with regards to criminal proceedings brought against a seafarer.

For many years, Florence was a key member of a team acting in respect of proceedings relating to a major oil spill, including by handling several concurrent arbitration and court proceedings, in several jurisdictions, leading to several reported judgments in both High Court and Court of Appeal.

Florence is a native French speaker and has a French law degree, making her a natural point of reference for any matters involving France or French speaking countries.

Experience

Acting for a shipowner and an International Group P&I Club with respect to direct actions brought by victims of accidental marine pollution with a total value of €4.3billion, involving proceedings in several jurisdictions.
Acting for a leading commodities trader in relation to a US$700,000 claim for wet damage to a cargo of fertilizers shipped from China to India.Acting for a shipyard in relation to unpaid instalments and counterclaims worth in excess of US$900,000 for alleged defects to 7 fast-crew boats delivered to a contractor in West Africa.
Advising a leading gas trader and its insurers in relation to a collision in Argentina and their potential liability as cargo interests, including in relation to salvage, General Average and potential unsafe port claims.
Advising an international commodities trader in relation to the recovery of a US$5million debt for unpaid demurrage and other commercial invoices against a contractor based in Africa.
Acting for a shipowner in relation to a charterparty dispute relating to the deep sea towing of a vessel.
Advising a shipowner in respect of delays allegedly causing losses to the charterer under a COA.
Advising a shipowner in respect of a dispute with contractors and a shipyard in relation to the retrofitting of ‘scrubbers’.
Drafting Anti-Bribery And Corruption policies and procedures under the Bribery Act 2010 for the benefit of a shipowner.