Simon Wolsey

Simon graduated from Warwick University with an honours degree in Law in 1989 and has worked in shipping since 1990. He joined MFB as a partner in 2007.

Simon handles a wide range of contentious matters for ship owners, operators and their P&I and H&M insurers worldwide across sectors and with particular emphasis on arbitration and litigation arising from charterparty, bill of lading and COA disputes, but also joint venture, pool agreements, management contracts and both vessel sale and purchase (MOA disputes) and on commodity sale and purchase contracts.

Simon has handled arbitration in various forms in London and elsewhere including those with LMAA, LCIA, ICC, GAFTA and also other ad hoc arbitration in London and also in other jurisdictions where English law is applied (Singapore, Dubai) and involving the dry/breakbulk/container and tanker/LNG market. He has handled mediation/ADR arising from the same.

He has extensive experience on arrests, collision and salvage and General Average as well as cross border disputes concerning piracy, seizure and sanctions. He recently acted for operators of the NM CHERRY BLOSSOM in a political and legal detention of cargo in South Africa and regularly works with and manages teams of experts and lawyers across jurisdictions to assist clients with multi-jurisdictional problems and the enforcement of orders, awards and judgments.

On the Yacht and Superyacht side, Simon deals with charterparty and sale and purchase disputes as well as commisssion disputes. He handles large damage and casualty and design and damage disputes.  On the yacht purchase side he recently handled High Court litigation in Andrew France -v- Discovery Yachts Group Ltd [2019] EWHC 3552 (Comm).

Simon also handles non-contentious matters, including sale and purchase of vessels, fleets and companies, joint ventures and pool contracts and various financing arrangements. This extends to the yacht and super-yacht market and where he is involved in the purchase, structuring and financing of larger yachts, as well as disputes arising from these contracts.

Simon is a Supporting Member of the LMAA.