Dedi Affandi is a partner of the firm’s Shipping & International Trade practice group.
His areas of practice encompass international trade work and the whole spectrum of “dry” and “wet” shipping work. These include marine casualties, maritime insolvency, bunker claims, charterparty, contracts of affreightment (COA), bill of lading, ship sale, ship repairs, marine insurance, international sanctions and commodities disputes. Dedi also handles various disputes involving fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties, dishonest assistance and conspiracy in the shipping context.
Dedi regularly represents clients in the Singapore Courts and in international arbitration, including under the SCMA, SIAC, LMAA and AIAC Rules. Dedi is also highly experienced in assisting clients in foreign court litigation by leveraging on the firm’s regional presence and its extensive networks of contacts around the world.
Dedi has been described as someone who provides “detailed, practical advice” by Asialaw Profiles 2024. He is named as an Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law by the Singapore Academy of Law’s Specialist Accreditation Scheme.
Dedi taught the Shipping Disputes course at the Singapore Shipping Association. He now sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre for Maritime Law at the National University of Singapore, where he is also an Adjunct Fellow. Apart from English, Dedi speaks both Malay and Bahasa Indonesia.
In his free time, Dedi coaches the NUS team for the international maritime law arbitration moots, having previously won it in 2010 and named as the Best Speaker (Final Rounds).
EXPERIENCE
Shipping
- Successfully acted for an International Group P&I Club in defending novel claims brought directly against the Club by a third-party collision claimant, alleging an agreement by the Club to provide security. The claim was brought in contract, unjust enrichment, and misrepresentation. The latter 2 claims were struck out in Anglo-American Corp Sdn Bhd v The London Steam-ship Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association Ltd [2018] SGHC 201. Dedi led the case to trial in the Singapore High Court where the remaining contractual claim was dismissed in an unreported judgment in 2022.
- Successfully acted for sellers in a ship sale & purchase arbitration under the SCMA Rules, arising from buyers’ refusal to take delivery under an amended Norwegian Saleform 2012 due to sellers’ tender of an allegedly invalid notice of readiness. This case was reported in Singapore Arbitration 4/18 LMLN, Issue 1019 – 19 Dec 18. The award was successfully enforced against escrow agents in subsequent Singapore Court proceedings.
- Acted for charterers in defending substantial claims by shipowners for damage to a vessel during loading operations in Indonesia. Part of this case was reported in The “FSL New York” [2016] EWHC 1091 (Comm), in the context of the shipowners’ unsuccessful application for additional security.
- Advising and acting for shipowners and charterers in numerous charterparty and contract of affreightment (COA) claims, including security and enforcement measures across jurisdictions, including arrest, liens over cargo (e.g., in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia) and sub-freights and sub-hire.
- Advising and acting for traders, banks and shipowners on both sides of bills of lading misdelivery claims, including in Singapore Court proceedings and international arbitration.
- Advising and acting in relation to claims for and against shipyards.
- Advising and acting in relation to bunker contamination disputes, and enforcement of bunker claims.
- Advising and acting for ship agents in enforcement of claims.
- Advising and acting in claims arising out of ship management agreements.
Marine Casualties
- Successfully acted for an LNG carrier in The “Mount Apo” and the “Hanjin Ras Laffan” [2019] SGHC 57; [2021] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 287 in a collision between the LNG carrier and a cape size bulk carrier in the Singapore Traffic Separation Scheme. The trial on apportionment of liability entailed extensive expert evidence, including navigational and animation experts, and concerned the issue of whether the bareboat charterer had title to sue.
- Representing a shipowner in claims and investigations arising out of an explosion on board a ferry in Bali, Indonesia, resulting in deaths and personal injury.
- Successfully acted for a shipowner in proceedings to limit liability arising out of a berth contact in Indonesia, in which the shipowner faced claims exceeding US$500 million. Part of this ongoing dispute is reported in COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers Co, Ltd v PT OKI Pulp & Paper Mills and others [2023] SGHC 149, where we successfully resisted a challenge to jurisdiction.
- Representing vessel interests in investigations by maritime authorities arising out of incidents in Singapore and overseas.
- Advising and acting for P&I clubs, hull underwriters, cargo insurers, shipowners, charterers, port operators and cargo interests in a wide spectrum of maritime casualties within Singapore and overseas. These include collisions, berth contact, damage to undersea pipelines, cargo liquefaction, wreck removal in respect of a drilling rig, container collapse, tank rupture incidents, fire, tank corrosion, and dangerous cargo, oil pollution, resulting in substantial economic claims, personal injury, missing crew, loss of life, etc.
International Trade / Others
- Successfully acted for a supplier in claims for breach of fiduciary duties, dishonest assistance against its former shipping director and companies under his control, including successfully obtaining pre-judgment and post-judgment freezing injunctions. This dispute spawned 2 reported judgments, with Dedi acting as lead counsel in both. See, Sumifru Singapore Pte Ltd v Felix Santos Ishizuka and two others [2020] 4 SLR 904, concerning the fortification of a freezing order; and Sumifru Singapore Pte Ltd v Felix Santos Ishizuka and others [2022] SGHC 14, concerning the main trial of the dispute, where the clients were awarded sums approaching US$10 million.
- Advising and acting for various vessel interests, cargo interests, and traders arising from the local and foreign insolvency proceedings involving major oil suppliers, traders, and shipping companies e.g., Hanjin Shipping, Universal Energy, Hontop, etc.
- Advising and acting for commodities suppliers and traders in various contractual disputes, including coal, grain, fuel oil, palm oil, metals, etc. These include disputes over the formation of contracts, unlawful termination, and defective goods, etc.
- Advising in relation to international sanctions, including UN, US, EU, and Singapore sanctions.
- Securing release of vessels detained overseas e.g., Indonesia and Iran.
- Successfully acted for the arresting party in challenging a ship agent’s claims for Sheriff’s expenses in The Makassar Caraka Jaya Niaga III-39 [2012] SGHC 175; The Pontianak Caraka Jaya Niaga III-34 [2012] SGHC 176.
- Acted for a limitation fund claimant in Thoresen Shipping Singapore Pte Ltd and others v Global Symphony SA and others [2020] 5 SLR 843; [2021] Lloyd’s Rep. Plus 58, where the Court provided guidance on the constitution of a limitation fund in Singapore by way of a letter of undertaking.
- Acted for a former owner of a vessel in The “Echo Star” ex “Gas Infinity” [2020] 5 SLR 1025; [2021] 2 Lloyd’s Rep 266, involving the question of whether a former owner could enter appearance as “defendants” in an in rem action.
- Enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and judgments.
- Successfully acted for a major liner operator in securing the discharge of containerized cargo on board an arrested vessel in Singapore without production of bills of lading.
Non-Contentious Work
- Advising and acting for buyers and sellers in non-contentious ship sale transactions.
- Advising on drafting of terms & conditions of ship sale contracts, bills of lading, charterparties, contracts of affreightment (COAs), contracts for services to FSOs, supply of services agreements, berthing and repair agreements.
MEMBERSHIPS / DIRECTORSHIPS
- Accredited Specialist, Maritime and Shipping Law
- Advisory Board of Centre for Maritime Law, NUS
- Adjunct Fellow of Centre for Maritime Law, NUS
- Member, Maritime Law Association of Singapore
- Lecturer, Singapore Shipping Association (2019 – 2022)
PUBLICATION
- Co-contributor, Singapore chapter of The International Comparative Legal Guide to Shipping Law 2016, 4th Edition, 2016
