NUS Law emerged as runner-ups at the 22nd International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot Competition (IMLAM)

(L to R): Dedi Affandi bin Ahmad ’10 (Coach), Wang Shang Yew ’23, Wu Muyu ’22, Muhammad Salihin Bin Mohd Zahrin ’23

NUS Law congratulates Wu Muyu ’22, Wang Shang Yew ’23, and Muhammad Salihin Bin Mohd Zahrin ’23 for winning multiple prizes as a team representing NUS Law at the 22nd International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot (IMLAM) competition held virtually from 3 to 8 July 2022. The NUS Law team was the best performing team in the General Rounds and fought their way to the Grand Finals, where they emerged as the runner-up. Dedi Affandi bin Ahmad ’10, Partner, Rajah & Tann LLP, and a member of the victorious NUS team in 2010, coached the team.

IMLAM 2022 was organised by the School of Law, Murdoch University, but hosted virtually by the Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University. At the heart of the IMLAM competition is a moot dispute on commercial maritime law heard before an arbitral tribunal. The dispute in IMLAM 2022 revolved around cargo claims arising out of the international carriage of goods by sea. Teams were required to submit written memoranda for both the claimant freight forwarder and the respondent carrier. They also had to present their arguments as a team of two counsels appearing virtually before an international panel of three arbitrators.

During the General Rounds, the NUS Law team faced four teams, namely, teams from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the University of Hong Kong, the Sri Lanka Law College, and the University of Queensland. Despite facing three of the top eight teams, the NUS Law team won all of their General Rounds. The top eight teams – with NUS Law being in first position – of the General Rounds proceeded to the Quarter Finals.

Thereafter, the NUS Law team competed against teams from the University of Hong Kong (Quarter Finals) and the University of Queensland (Semi-Finals). And in the Grand Finals, NUS Law appeared against the University of Sydney, who competed against teams from the Universitas Indonesia (Quarter Finals) and the Singapore Management University (Semi-Finals).

The NUS Law team appeared before various IMLAM 2022 arbitrators around the world in different time zones. These included leading maritime law practitioners from common law and civil law jurisdictions, a Queen’s Counsel from England, Senior Counsels from Australia, a marine surveyor from Australia, and a well-known academic, Professor Martin Davies.

In the Grand Finals, the NUS Law team appeared before an experienced panel of judges known for their expertise in maritime law: Sir Bernard Eder (International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court and former Judge of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales), Justice Sarah Derrington (Federal Court of Australia), who founded IMLAM in 2000, and Justice Belinda Ang (Supreme Court of Singapore). The team from the University of Sydney won the Grand Finals, which was live-streamed on YouTube.

As the highest ranked team in the General Rounds, the NUS Law team takes home a two-fold award: the David Martin-Clark Trophy donated by the TT Club, and the accompanying prize sponsored by Helmsman LLC. The NUS Law team also received the first runner-up prize sponsored by DLA Piper.

The NUS Law team would like to express their gratitude to the following:

Professor Stephen Girvin, Associate Professor Paul Myburgh, Adjunct Professor Neale Gregson, Derek Tan ’98, Bernard Yee ’00, Dedi Affandi bin Ahmad ’10, Chen Zhida ’13, Jonathan Tan ’14, Davis Tan (Partner, Rajah & Tann LLP), Huang Peide LLB ’16, LLM ’22, Leung Liwen ’17, Wang Yufei ’17, Douglas Lok ’17, Tan Kah Wai ’19, Low Zhe Ning ’19, Marcus Chiang ’19, Fabian Chiang ’19, Kenneth Lim ’19, Alfred Li ’20, Benson Fan ’22, Wong Weitao ’22, CJ Koh Law Library and its librarians, especially Ms Suguna Balasingam, for their help in providing research resources and library support. Staff of the Centre for Maritime Law, especially Ms Rowena Goh, for administrative support throughout the competition.

Finally, in addition to their coach, Dedi Affandi bin Ahmad ’10, the team members would especially like to thank Leung Liwen ’17 and Wong Weitao ’22 for their constant support throughout the year.