Members of Keating Chambers are often instructed in international arbitrations concerning projects in Europe or involving European clients. The nature of the projects include: construction, energy, offshore and infrastructure (including road) projects in Slovakia and Romania; offshore wind projects in the North Sea and further afield; and Norwegian shipyards. Our clients are diverse and include, amongst others: French energy providers; Dutch marine contractors; and Italian and Spanish contractors.
Barristers at Keating Chambers are also regularly instructed by European contractor clients engaged on major domestic projects. Reported cases include 125 OBS & Another v Lendlease Construction (Europe) & Another [2017] EWHC 25 (TCC) involving failures with the glass cladding of a building in London, and the Supreme Court case of MT Hojgaard v E.On Climate and Renewables UK [2017] UKSC 59 concerning the construction of the Robin Rigg offshore wind farm
Some members also specialise in procurement, competition, planning and environmental law, and are experienced in European law matters to the extent they affect their practices in these areas. These specialisms have led them to appear before EU courts, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Languages spoken include French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish.
Recent Case Examples
- Representing the main contractor in a € billion ICC arbitration following the suspension and subsequent termination of the South Stream gas pipeline project. Acting for a large Italian energy contractor against a Lebanese subcontractor in a €246 million dispute concerning welding defects in an Algerian pipeline.
- Representing German energy company Eon in the English Courts (Chancery Division) on a multi million pound dispute relating to contracts for the reprocessing of nuclear waste from European power stations at Sellafield.
- Representing the defendant energy company in a final account claim ICC arbitration related to design works for a Flue Gas Desulphurisation project in Eastern Europe.
- Acting for the main contractor joint venture in multi million pound ad hoc arbitration proceedings relating to the construction of a new runway at an international airport in Western Europe.
- Acting for a substantial Norwegian engineering services provider against an Egyptian owner of an FPSO in an LMAA arbitration.
- Acting for Insurers in relation to the Cologne City Metro collapse.
- Advising in connection with a major nuclear storage site in Ukraine (FIDIC Contract).
- Representing the French shareholder in a joint venture dispute in the Commercial Court concerned with the manufacture of fabrics and including freezing orders and jurisdiction hearings with proceedings in London, Paris, Hong-Kong and the Cayman Islands.
- Acting for the owner in an international arbitration concerning the design of an onshore processing facility in Eastern Europe.
- Co-counsel on multi million Euro ICC arbitration arising out of an EPC contract for a state of the art low-density polyethylene plant in Eastern Europe (delay and disruption; defective works).
- Leading counsel on multi million Euro ICC arbitration arising out of the construction of a regassification plant in Kuwait (early termination; delay and disruption, variations).
- Acted for the employer in ICC arbitration proceedings relating to the construction of a shopping complex in Poland.
- Chairman of an ICC tribunal in an arbitration between Greek and Bulgarian entities, concerning the construction of a mountain road. (Seat in Bulgaria, Bulgarian law).
- Party-appointed arbitration in an ICC arbitration relating to an oil pipeline in Yemen. (Seat in Vienna, Austrian law).
- Chairman of ICC Tribunal dealing with issues of delay and defects on international construction project in Gibraltar.