Cargo, Chartering & Trade led by a Fellow of the I.C.S.
Commercial and documentary support across the cargo lifecycle — charter party work, demurrage and laytime, cargo and charter party disputes, and the India-specific import/export compliance that trips up so many shipments. Led by a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (F.I.C.S., UK).
Where the commercial document meets the cargo reality.
Most disputes in shipping originate on the commercial and documentary side — a charter party clause that allocated risk badly, a laytime calculation nobody checked, a cargo that arrived without the right import paperwork, a bill of lading that said more than it should have. These matters are won or lost long before they reach a tribunal, in the drafting and the documentation.
Capt. P. Singh's twin credentials — Master Mariner (F.G.) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (UK) — mean Lex Dux can speak credibly across both the operational deck side and the commercial chartering side of any fixture, cargo, or dispute. The F.I.C.S. credential is held by under fifty professionals in India and is the international standard for chartering expertise.
This vertical serves charterers and operators on charter party drafting, vetting, and post-fixture disputes; cargo interests and traders on import/export documentation and the India-specific compliance regime; and both sides on demurrage, laytime, and cargo claim disputes. A particular niche: pre-shipment NOC for steel cargo that falls outside India's BIS Quality Control Order regime — a recurring headache for steel importers that most consultancies cannot navigate.
Five scopes we deliver well.
Engagements typically begin with a discrete deliverable from this list and develop into ongoing advisory relationships where the fit is right.
Charter party drafting & vetting
Drafting and vetting of GENCON, NYPE, Shelltime, BPVoy, Asbatankvoy, Synacomex, and bespoke forms. Clause-by-clause exposure analysis, rider clause drafting, and amendment recommendations — the highest-leverage point to prevent a dispute is before the fixture is concluded.
Demurrage & laytime analysis
Voyage accounting, NOR validity analysis, laytime calculation under standard and bespoke definitions, demurrage quantification, time-bar analysis, and dispute preparation. Strength in dry bulk and tanker voyage disputes, with detailed documentary laytime statements.
Pre-shipment NOC — QCO steel cargo
Assistance obtaining pre-shipment No Objection Certificates for steel cargo that falls outside India's BIS Quality Control Order (QCO) regime. Navigating the documentation, the application route, and the timing so non-BIS-certified steel imports clear without costly delay or rejection at port.
Legal support on cargo & charter party disputes
Dispute support across cargo claims and charter party disagreements — merits analysis, evidence and documentary preparation, settlement positioning, and instruction support to litigation or arbitration counsel. Technical maritime grounding that strengthens the commercial and legal case.
Import & export documentation advisory
Advisory on the documentary chain for import and export shipments — bills of lading, letters of credit alignment, certificates of origin, customs and port documentation, and the India-specific regulatory paperwork. Preventing the documentary errors that delay cargo and trigger disputes.
Partner-led, scoped tightly, accountable end-to-end.
Every engagement in this vertical is led directly by Capt. P. Singh. The F.I.C.S. credential, the commercial chartering knowledge, the master mariner background, and the India trade-compliance experience are not delegated to associates.
For pre-fixture work — charter party drafting and vetting — engagement timing is critical, and we turn around standard-form vetting within 48 hours. For demurrage and laytime work, engagements are project-based with a defined deliverable and a fixed-fee or capped-hourly arrangement. For the QCO steel NOC and import/export documentation work, we scope against the specific shipment and its timeline, because port delay is the cost that matters.
For dispute support, we work alongside instructed litigation or arbitration counsel in a technical and commercial advisory role — merits analysis, evidence preparation, and expert input — rather than as court advocates.
Common questions, candidly answered.
What is the pre-shipment NOC for QCO steel cargo, and who needs it?
India's Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) operates Quality Control Orders (QCOs) that make BIS certification mandatory for a growing list of steel products. Steel imported without the applicable BIS certification can be held, rejected, or penalised at the port of entry.
In defined circumstances, importers can seek a pre-shipment No Objection Certificate (NOC) to bring in steel cargo that falls outside or has not yet obtained BIS certification — for example, grades not covered, specific end-use exemptions, or transitional situations. The process is documentation-heavy and time-sensitive, and getting it wrong means cargo stuck at port.
We assist steel importers and traders in assessing whether an NOC route is available for a given consignment, preparing the application and supporting documentation, and managing the timing against the shipment schedule.
What charter party forms do you regularly work with?
On the dry bulk side: GENCON 1994 / 2022 (voyage), NYPE 1946 / 1993 / 2015 (time charter), Baltime 2001, and Synacomex 2000.
On the tanker side: Asbatankvoy, BPVoy 5, Shellvoy 6, Shelltime 4, and BPTIME 3.
For project cargo, gas, container, and specialised trades, we work with the relevant industry-standard or bespoke forms. Most of our drafting work, in practice, is on rider clauses and amendments to standard forms — where most fixture-stage disputes are prevented or planted.
How do you handle demurrage disputes?
Three phases: NOR validity analysis (was Notice of Readiness properly tendered, was the vessel ready in fact and law), laytime accounting (commencement, exceptions, interruptions, exhaustion), and demurrage quantification against the charter rate.
We prepare detailed laytime statements with documentary support for each step, identify counterparty exposure points, and prepare either a settlement-positioning analysis or an arbitration submission. Time-bar analysis matters — many demurrage disputes turn on procedural points before substantive merits are reached.
What does the import/export documentation advisory cover?
The full documentary chain that moves a cargo across a border: bills of lading (and their alignment with the underlying sale and any letter of credit), certificates of origin, packing and commercial documentation, customs paperwork, and the India-specific regulatory documents a given cargo requires.
Most cargo delays and a surprising share of disputes trace back to a documentary mismatch — a bill of lading inconsistent with the LC, a missing certificate, a description that triggers a customs query. We review the documentary set before shipment to catch these, and advise on corrections when a shipment is already in difficulty.
Do you provide the litigation if a dispute escalates?
Indian court advocacy and formal arbitration representation are handled by specialised litigation counsel rather than Lex Dux directly. Where a cargo or charter party dispute escalates, we work alongside instructed counsel in a technical and commercial advisory role — merits analysis, documentary and evidence preparation, expert input, and strategy support.
For international arbitration where technical maritime or commercial chartering evidence is determinative, we can serve in an expert or expert-support capacity.
From charter party vetting to steel cargo NOC, we work where commercial knowledge matters.
Send a brief note about the fixture, cargo, or documentation issue. Response within one working day; same-day for shipments in progress.