As a core area of Celine’s practice, she handles the full range of dry shipping, commodities and international carriage of goods work. 

Celine’s recent and ongoing cases as sole counsel include:

• Acting for Owners and Charterers in various off-hire claims resulting from congestion, covid-19 delays, detainment and arrest.
• Acting on behalf of defendant Charterers in an ongoing unsafe berth / port claim.  Involving issues of unseaworthiness and negligence of the Master/Crew.
• Acting successfully on behalf of claimant Yacht Charterers in LMAA proceedings to recover liquidated damages under the MYBA form. 
• Advising and drafting pleadings in LMAA arbitrations, for both owners and charterers, in respect of laytime and demurrage disputes. 
• Acting for defendant cargo interests in a general average claim arising from a grounding. Issues of unseaworthiness and defective passage planning were involved. The case settled shortly before the scheduled 4-day commercial court trial. 
• Acting for and advising cargo interests in bills of lading disputes. Primarily concerning Hague/Visby Rules issues, contamination and short delivery of cargo. 
• Acting, for Owners and Charterers, in off-spec bunker claims. 
• Acting on behalf of Carnival and P&O Princess cruises in in rem proceedings and obtaining judgment in default. Celine, led by John Kimbell KC, acted in a series of admiralty proceedings arising out of the insolvency of cruise ship operators as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic reported at [2020] EWHC 3443 (Admlty).  As part of those proceedings, Celine appeared as sole counsel and was successful in objecting to a claim which did not meet the jurisdiction requirements of s.21(4) SCA 1981, reported at [2021] EWHC 310 (Admlty).  

As junior counsel: 

• With Sean O’Sullivan KC (4 Pump Court), on behalf of Sellers, a major cruise line, in long-running arbitration proceedings involving multi-million-dollar warranty claims arising from the sale of two cruise ships. The case concerns a bespoke warranty clause under the Norwegian Sale Form. For ongoing procedural matters, Celine is regularly instructed to appear before the Tribunal against a silk instructed for Buyers. 
• With John Russell KC, on behalf of respondent Owners, in arbitration proceedings concerning several main engine breakdowns and long periods of detention.  Issues concern the applicability of the off-hire and detention clauses, alleged unseaworthiness and failure to maintain. 
• With Chris Smith KC, on behalf of bareboat charterers, in court and arbitration proceedings for issues arising under an MOA concerning the disputed ownership of a vessel sold for 15 million dollars. 
• With Henry Ellis, for claimant time charterers (a leading global produce company) in a multi-million-dollar claim arising from alleged unseaworthiness of a large containership. The case involves complex quantum analysis.

Celine acts for many commercial parties to sales contracts, multi-party framework agreements and distribution agreements in both domestic and international contexts. 

Examples of recent and ongoing cases where Celine is acting as sole counsel include: 

• Cases concerning contractual termination, incorporation of terms, notice provisions, time-bars and jurisdictional issues.
• Force majeure provisions, pandemic and diseases clauses and frustration disputes- particularly arising in the context of Covid-19.  
• Contracts of sale of goods or services- disputes concerning the applicable terms (battle of the forms), misdelivery, defective products and the application of the Sale of Goods Act. 
• Minimum performance obligations and liquidated damages- Celine was instructed in High Court Proceedings on behalf of a well-known ferry company who are accused of failing to meet the minimum performance obligations under their contract with the port. 
• Freight forwarding and warehousing claims- Celine was instructed by freight forwarders, a major road haulage carrier, in High Court Proceedings brought by cargo interests. Issues concern incorporation of terms, the contractual standard of care and causation. Celine assisted in securing an early favourable settlement in her client’s favour. 
• Celine has also appeared in the Commercial Court and Circuit Commercial Court seeking to obtain summary judgment, strike out or default judgment- often involving defendants in foreign jurisdictions and advising on potential issues concerning enforcement. 
• Practical or procedural matters in past or ongoing commercial cases include advising on time bars, limitation, adding or removing a party or substituting a party to proceedings, applications for alternative service and advising on jurisdictional gateways and service of proceedings in foreign jurisdictions. 

As junior counsel: 

• Assisting Caroline Pounds in ongoing arbitration proceedings concerning the variation of contractual terms, cancellation clauses and impossibility of performance due to export regime changes.  
• Celine has previously acted for Cargill, led by Yash Kulkarni KC, in a case concerning the alleged defective supply of multi-vitamins. The case raised issues on the incorporation of terms, course of dealing and ss. 14(2) and (3) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, reported at [2022] EWHC 218 (Comm).

Celine is regularly instructed to plead, advise and appear in LMAA and LCIA arbitrations involving shipping and general commercial disputes. Celine has appeared in front of Tribunals for arbitral hearings both as sole counsel (often against more senior counsel) and as part of a counsel team.  
Celine has also appeared in court proceedings and advised on the following arbitration matters: 

• Applications for anti-suit injunctions
• Applications concerning the appointment of a sole arbitrator 
• Acting on behalf of defendants to secure a stay of proceedings under s.9 Arbitration Act 
• Advising a respondent to an application under s.41(3) Arbitration Act
• Advising in relation to a potential s.45 application 
• Advising on the incorporation and/or applicability of arbitration agreements. Questions of construction, LOU’s and ad hoc arbitration agreements.  For example, Celine has previously advised, with Peter Stevenson, on the issue of apparent inconsistent arbitration and exclusive jurisdiction agreements.   
   

Celine is developing a busy commodities practice.  She has advised in relation to a GAFTA arbitration and has assisted in various disputes concerning different metals, petroleum products, fertilizer, sugar, fresh fruit produce, as well as acting in usual cargo claims concerning rice, grains and cereals. 

Celine is also regularly instructed to advise in various freight-forwarding cases concerning BIFA and CMR terms.   

Celine also advises in relation to warehousing/storage issues (including frauds) and cases involving involuntary bailment. Celine assisted Ben Gardner in advising defendant insurers in respect of an alleged warehousing fraud concerning a large consignment of expensive wines.  The case concerned an analysis of the issues raised in Quadra Commodities v XL Insurance Company SE & Ors [2022] EWHC 431 (Comm); [2023] EWCA Civ 432

Prior to joining Quadrant Chambers, Celine spent time at Stephenson Harwood as a paralegal in their Marine and International Trade department in September 2019.

Celine has also previously undertaken legal work experience at Hiscox and Clyde & Co.