Javier Portales discusses arbitration in superyacht refit contracts at the Balearic Nautical Sector Conference

Club de Mar in Palma brought together more than 130 industry professionals at a conference organised by Howden and Intact. 

On 6 October, Club de Mar in Palma hosted the 7th Balearic Nautical Sector Conference, attended by more than 130 people. The programme covered two current issues for the industry: disputes arising from superyacht refit contracts and the current state of marinas and leisure ports. The event was organised by Howden and Intact, a broker and an insurer with a strong presence in the sector. 

Javier Portales, partner at Albors Galiano Portales, spoke on the first panel, which focused on arbitration and jurisdiction clauses in major refit contracts. He was joined by Diego Colón, CEO of Astilleros de Mallorca, Miguel Ángel Serra and Peter Brown of GYC-MB92. The panel was moderated by Isaac Galcerá, Senior Marine Underwriter at Intact. 

Javier examined these clauses in the context of the ICOMIA standard refit contract. He looked at the advantages and drawbacks of arbitration compared with the ordinary courts in this type of dispute. 

The conference was closed by Antoni Mercant, Director General of Ports de les Illes Balears.