Nathanael Lin is Deputy Head of the firm’s Shipping & International Trade practice group.
He regularly advises banks and commodity traders on sanctions, commodities disputes, trade finance disputes (with a particular focus on letters of credit litigation), trade finance documentation, and shipping matters. He has acted for court-appointed Judicial Managers and Liquidators in commodity fraud investigations, and has been appointed as expert witness on Singapore law in foreign arbitration.
Nathanael is regularly instructed by banks, traders, oil terminals, and underwriters, to advise on sanctions and export controls. As part of that practice, he has been appointed to advise clients on alleged sanctions breaches, filing representations and disclosure reports to the United Nations Panel of Experts on North Korea, OFAC, and local authorities. He also advises clients on vessel and cargo screening.
Nathanael has appeared at all levels of the Singapore courts, both as counsel and led by Senior Counsel. He has also handled arbitrations in Singapore, London, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur under the SIAC, LMAA, HKIAC, SCMA, FOSFA, and ICC Rules.
From 2017 – 2020, he was the Head of Group Legal & Sanctions Compliance at one of Southeast Asia’s largest vertically-integrated shipping, oil trading, bunkering and oil storage groups, where his responsibilities included managing the insurance portfolio of a fleet of more than 160 vessels, and making direct representations to the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts regarding alleged sanctions breaches. From 2019 – 2020, he was a member of the Singapore War Risks Mutual Class Committee, the only war risks mutual insurer in Southeast Asia.
Apart from his native English, Nathanael is also conversant in Mandarin.
Nathanael was named as one of Singapore’s 70 most influential lawyers aged 40 and under by the Singapore Business Review in 2016. He is also the Membership Officer of the International Bar Association’s Maritime and Transport Law Committee, having previously served as its Southeast Asia Regional Representative.
EXPERIENCE
Commodities
- Successfully acted for one of the world’s largest jet fuel traders in defending a claim for fraud under a letter of credit and payment letter of indemnity.
- Acting for an independent commodities trading house in claims for non-delivery under two gasoil sale contracts, valued in excess of US$60 million.
- Acting for a fuel oil trader in disputes arising from mass organic chloride contamination in Singapore.
- Successfully acted for an independent commodities trading house in a London nickel arbitration arising out of the Trafigura-Gupta fraud.
- Acting for an unpaid seller of sunflower seed oil in a FOSFA arbitration. The matter involves freezing of the buyer’s assets in India.
- Acting for a used cooking oil trader in multiple claims arising from the removal of Chinese export rebates.
- Acting for an independent commodities trader in claims for non-delivery and fraud relating to shipments of used cooking oil from China to the USA.
- Acting for liquidators of insolvent trading houses in claims for non-payment under multiple CPP (gasoil, JET A-1, and mogas) and coal contracts.
- Acting for a buyer of LPG (refrigerated propane) cargoes in a claim for non-delivery.
Trade Finance
- Acted for multiple commodity finance banks in the enforcement of security following the collapse of various oil, metals, and agri-commodity traders, including arresting ships under bills of lading pledged to financing banks, and the sale of pledged cargoes, both afloat and ashore.
- Advised various issuing, negotiating, and confirming banks of letters of credit on alleged fraud and discrepancies in documents presented for payment under letters of credit, and in subsequent litigation.
- Successfully acted for a negotiating bank to obtain reimbursement from the issuing bank, in the first known instance of a negotiating bank availing itself of a non-documentary condition under UCP 600 in Singapore.
- Advised and acted for a major trade finance bank to enforce its security in London and Singapore under a syndicated loan worth more than US$14 million following the borrower’s insolvency.
- Advised a major trade finance bank in the enforcement of its security in Singapore and China under a syndicated loan worth more than US$25 million following the Qingdao metals financing scandal.
- Successfully acted for a beneficiary of 5 straight letters of credit to recover payment in the wake of alleged fraud defences by the issuing bank.
- Acted for a Singapore lender in relation to a borrowing base facility granted to an integrated oil trading and tanker owning borrower, secured by a pledge over inventory and mortgages over tankers.
- Acted for a Hong Kong lender in a dispute with the collecting bank under URC 522.
- Advised an SBLC issuing bank in relation to alleged discrepancies in documents presented.
- Acted for the presenting bank in relation to a claim for negligence under an on-demand bank guarantee.
- Advised a Singapore-based trader in relation to US$50 million structured trade transaction with a German bank.
- Advised a Singapore-based trader in relation to the financing of copper concentrates and zinc in Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
- Acted for a US lender in relation to a cobalt borrowing base facility.
- Acted for a Swiss lender in relation to a copper storage financing facility.
- Acted for a Singapore borrower in negotiating a mogas storage financing facility for cargoes in Vietnam.
- Advised a Singapore lender on electronic bills of lading.
- Acted for the Association of Banks in Singapore to draft the Singapore Trade Finance Registry Playbook.
- Acting for a Swiss metals trader in negotiating a bilateral US$50 million import LC/SBLC facility with a Singapore lender.
- Acted for a Singapore lender to draft template bill of exchange discounting facility terms.
- Acted for a Singapore lender to draft template bilateral trade finance standard terms and application forms.
- Acted for a Singapore lender to negotiate and draft the terms of an import SBLC facility.
- Acted for a Singapore lender in negotiating a US$50 million import LC/SBLC facility with an Australian borrower.
- Acted for a Singapore lender in negotiating a US$35 million import LC/SBLC facility to finance the borrower’s purchase of corn-based ethanol.
- Acted for a Singapore borrower in negotiating a US$100 million import LC/SBLC facility with a French lender.
- Drafted general terms and conditions for multiple trade finance banks (including repo, storage, CMA facilities).
- Acted for various lenders to negotiate and draft multiple receivables discounting / factoring facilities.
Sanctions
- Advised a state-owned entity in relation to matters arising from being designated as an SDN entity.
- Advised a refinery owner/operator in relation to matters arising from being designated as a sanctioned entity by the EU.
- Advised a national oil company after its contractual seller for multiple CPP cargoes was designated as a sanctioned entity by the UK.
- Acted for an independent oil trader in a voluntary self-disclosure to OFAC following allegations of alleged sanctions breaches.
- Acted for an independent petrochemical trader in a voluntary self-disclosure to OFAC following allegations of alleged sanctions breaches.
- Acted for an independent oil trader in making representations to the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea following allegations of alleged sanctions breaches.
- Acted for an independent oil trader in filing a delisting application to OFAC.
- Acted for a shipping agent in filing a delisting application to OFAC.
- Advised an IG P&I Club on matters arising from Singapore’s sanctions against Russia.
- Acted for a multinational JV co in a dispute arising from the construction of an LNG processing plant after the imposition of EU sanctions against Russia.
- Drafted SCPs and sanctions due diligence workflows for multiple ship owners, oil storage terminals, and commodity trading houses.
- Acted for a national oil company in relation to matters arising from shipment of crude oil on board a VLCC alleged by media and NGOs to be of Russian-origin.
- Acted for the owners of a fleet of floating storage units in relation to claims by UANI on facilitating breaches of sanctions against Iran.
- Drafted sanctions clauses for multiple trade finance banks and commodity traders in trade finance documentation, and commodity sale contracts.
- Advised a multinational JV on Yemen sanctions in relation to the laying of underwater cables through Yemeni territorial waters.
- Advised a national oil company on matters arising from Singapore’s sanctions against Russia.
- Advised a state-owned company on its rights and delivery obligations to deliver jet fuel to multiple airlines at multiple airports in Russia, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
Shipping
- Instructed as expert witness in London arbitration to give evidence on Singapore’s COVID safe distancing measures in relation to ship sale and purchase.
- Acted for a Chinese ship owner to set aside an arrest, culminating in a landmark Singapore Court of Appeal decision clarifying the right of appeal to the Singapore Court of Appeal to set aside an arrest.
- Acted for a major container line operator and shipowner to set aside an arrest, and obtained an award of wrongful arrest, following the collapse of OW Bunker.
- Acted for owners in a time charterparty dispute worth more than US$60 million.
- Acting for owners in two HKIAC arbitrations arising from disputes under two bareboat charterparties, in claims valued in excess of US$70 million.
- Acted for a seller in a London arbitration arising from a ship sale and purchase dispute valued at more than US$35 million.
- Acted for a time charterer to successfully obtain a ship inspection order in Singapore to obtain evidence in support of a speed/underperformance claim.
- Acted for a voyage charterer to successfully obtain a ship inspection order in Singapore to obtain evidence after a catastrophic main engine failure.
- Acted for various claimants arising from a major oil spill in Singapore following a collision b/w VOX MAXIMA and MARINE HONOUR in June 2024.
- Acted for various oil terminals (floating and ashore) in multiple claims arising from various allisions.
- Advised and acted for shipyards and owners in various newbuilding disputes – including a Malaysian shipyard in resisting the buyer’s call on a refund guarantee under a newbuilding contract.
- Acted for a mortgagee in the successful enforcement of a mortgage over a 172,000 dwt bulk carrier.
- Acting for a mortgagee in the enforcement of mortgages over 3 offshore support vessels. The matter involves litigation in Singapore, London, and Congo.
- Acted for various shipowners and charterers in relation to off-spec bunker claims arising from the supply of HSFO / VLSFO / LSFO at Singapore and elsewhere.
- Reviewed and drafted bills of lading, and standard form contracts of affreightment for various tanker operators.
- Advised various bunker trading houses in relation to matters arising from the regulation and licensing of bunker barge operators and physical bunker suppliers in Singapore.
- Drafted general terms and conditions for multiple bunker suppliers in Singapore.
Terminalling
- Drafted general terms and conditions for Asia Pacific’s largest independent oil storage operators.
- Drafted template storage and STS agency agreements for the operator of 8 floating storage units
- Drafted and negotiated various holding certificate templates on behalf of an oil storage operator, which were to be issued to various lenders in Singapore, London, mainland China, and the Middle East.
- Acted for a European-owned storage operator in disputes arising from declarations of force majeure under contracts for oil storage, jetty management, and chemical logistics contracts.
- Negotiated storage agreements on behalf of storage operators for the storage of: fuel oil, gasoil, mogas, naphtha, gasoline blending components, and biodiesel.
Aviation
- Advised an aircraft leasing company on the lease of an aircraft engine to a major budget air carrier.
- Advised an aircraft repairer on Customs issues in relation aircraft fitted with self-defence systems.
- Advised an aircraft repairer in relation to claims arising from damage to an aircraft engine whilst undergoing repairs in Singapore.
- Advised an aircraft engine repairer on matters arising from the shipment of aerospace parts to Singapore.
Customs / Export Controls
- Acted for a Singapore trader in filing VDP disclosures to Singapore Customs in relation to mis-declared lube / base oil exports.
- Advised a Singapore trader in relation to potential liability to Singapore Customs arising from late declarations.
- Successfully acted for a Singapore trader to recover more than S$6 million in excess excise duty imposed on diesel fuel.
- Acting for the importer of GPUs shipped from the USA to Singapore in relation to potential claims from BIS.
- Acting for the importer of GPUs transshipped through Singapore in relation to issues arising from alleged end user misdeclarations.
- Advised a Singapore tech co on Singapore export controls in relation to software and the relocation of assets and data from Singapore to the USA.
- Advised a Dutch company in relation to storage of decoded goods in bonded warehouses in Singapore.
- Advised multiple Singapore traders in relation to various Form D / Form E issues for the shipment of petrochemical products from Singapore/Indonesia to China.
Reported Judgments
- DMZ v DNA [2025] SGHC 31
- Banque De Commerce Et De Placements SA, DIFC Branch v China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corporation Ltd [2024] SGHC 145, [2025] SGCA 33
- ING Bank NV, Singapore Branch v The Demise Charterer of the Ship or Vessel “Navig8 Ametrine” [2022[ SGHCR 5
- Sinopec International (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Bank of Communications Co Ltd [2021] SGHC 245
- Genuine Pte Ltd v HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd, Dubai [2021] 5 SLR 1186
- The “Nasco Gem” [2014] 2 SLR 63
- Prestige Marine Services Pte Ltd v Marubeni International Petroleum (S) Pte Ltd [2012] 1 SLR 917
MEMBERSHIP / DIRECTORSHIP
- Membership Officer, Maritime and Transport Law Committee, International Bar Association
- Senior Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law, Singapore Academy of Law
- Class Committee Member, Singapore War Risks Mutual (2019 – 2020)
PUBLICATIONS
- Co-author, “Wrongful Arrest of Ships” in “The Arrest Conventions: International Enforcement of Maritime Claims” (Hart Publishing, 2019)
- Co-author, “Singapore’s Apex Court Reshapes the Doctrine of Anticipatory Breach in the “STX Mumbai”” (presented at the 8th International Conference on Maritime Law, Dalian, 2015)
- Contributor, Documentary Credit World (June 2013, Vol. 17, No. 6)
