The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act was published today in the Official Journal of the European Commission and comes in to force on 23 May. Read the full text…
What the shipping industry should be aware of The European Union’s 12th package of sanctions against Rus-sia has come into force on 19 February 2024, following adop-tion by the European…
In this section we bring you the latest briefings from our partner association, the CRM Alliance on legislative developments in the European union that impact of critical raw material industries…
The TCG held its plenary session on 28 February. Julia Tiskowiec summarises the proceedings for the MMTA. EU Customs Reform Aim: The upcoming customs reform is described as a…
2023 Strategic Foresight Report—deadline 13 March The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to inform its 2023 Strategic Foresight Report. This report is published every year, and…
In a recent case, the High Court considered* whether a vessel owner could disregard a charterer’s voyage instruction without interrupting demurrage. The dispute centred around two instances where…
Two relatively recent cases remind us of the possible limits of “reserving your rights” in certain situations. For Mr Justice Baker, in the 2018 case Phones 4u Ltd (In…
The Court of Appeal held that an exclusion of liability clause did not prohibit a claim for wasted expenditure. The clause in the spotlight was as follows: “… neither…
Resources: Protect of Promote? Dear Members. Good Morning and a very Happy New Year! This Sunday morning, here in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, I am looking out on only a little…
CA holds that express wording not required to release fraud in a settlement agreement Background MRL referred a case to the Court of Appeal in relation to the…
“Pay now, argue later” clause survives legal challenge Upholding the terms of a partial final award of an arbitration tribunal, the English High Court has found* that a…
Go, Go, Gallium After several false starts, NASA’s Artemis I mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 November, the first in a series of complex missions…
Following the announcement of the proposed EU Critical Raw Materials Act (see The Crucible, September 2022), the European Commission invited views on the proposed legislation (see The Crucible, October 2022)…
Following UK sanctions placed on Russian businessman Iskander Makhmudov on 26 September, the MMTA has sought clarification from the Department for International Trade on implications for trading with the businessman’s…
In a recent judgment1, the English Court found that interest rate swap transactions (“IRS”) entered into by the Municipality of Venice (“Venice”) were void, in that Venice lacked capacity…
BIMCO publishes its CMII clause The IMO’s new carbon intensity regulations are due to come into force on 1 January 2023. To assist owners and charterers, on 17 November…
Background K Line agreed to supply a minimum amount of business to JKL, who managed the import/export of K Line’s containers in the UK. Following a restructuring by K Line…
Dear Members I’m back! And it is great to be writing to you again. Robust supply chains for, and an adequate supply of, strategic and critical materials are, once more,…
The rising fuel and energy costs have created a crunch for UK businesses and energy intensive industries in particular. The MMTA asked the department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy…
Can crypto be security? In Tulip Trading v Bitcoin Association for BSV,[1] the High Court considered whether to order security in the form of digital assets such as Bitcoin. Background…
On 26 September, the UK government placed new sanctions in connection with the war in Ukraine on several Russian businessmen “for supporting or obtaining benefit from the Government of Russia…
Background The case arose out of a JV for the operation of a Russian coalmine with 3 investors, including NDK, which held a 75% share in an SPV registered in…
With high gas and electricity prices battering Europe, UK and EU governments announced winter support, including temporary caps on prices for domestic and business consumers. EU measures unveiled on…
The passing of the US Inflation Reduction Act puts US automakers under pressure to localise their battery raw material supply in North America or secure supply from countries such as…
CPM Group is an independent commodities research, consulting, and investment banking advisory company headquartered in New York. In this analysis, CPM’s tantalum market experts Andrew Matheson and Patrick Stratton dig…
It has come to the MMTA’s attention that some members have experienced delays this year in getting their metal shipments cleared through Italian customs as they required additional radiometric testing.…
A collaboration between the two leading UK industry events, this years’ RWM & Letsrecycle Live joined up to form the UK’s single largest event for the recycling, resource and wider…
The Court of Appeal has recently considered and upheld a previous High Court decision, finding that a firm of solicitors were not able to rely on privileged communications with…
The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 implies a term into certain business contracts for the supply of goods and services so to allow a creditor a right…
The UK government’s new Critical Minerals Strategy aims to safeguard the UK’s supply security for critical raw materials. The strategy will be informed by the newly set up Critical Minerals…
To the Moon and back Further to June’s space exploration highlights, August saw NASA readying its Artemis Moon mission for launch. The Space Launch System rocket pictured here will send…
BIMCO’s Force Majeure Clause 20221 is a generic clause which can be modified for inclusion in a range of contracts. This may include sale agreements and charterparties. Highlights Where…
3D printing, lithium power NASA’s Moon mission As this edition was going to press, NASA launched its CAPSTONE satellite to the Moon. This is the first step of the…
by REACHReady Following the departure of Great Britain from the EU and with the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, EU chemicals regulations such as REACH, the…
Securing stable magnesium supply has become a priority for policymakers after an acute shortage of material in late 2021, panellists said at the EIT Raw Materials Summit in Berlin. “To…
The reflective loss principle prevents a shareholder from seeking to recover a loss from a wrongdoer which merely reflects the loss suffered by the company it is interested in. Over…
The High Court held that an instruction to an expert auditor was not protected by litigation privilege, but that a solicitor’s witness statement did not waive privilege over several documents.…
New Stream entered into a contract to sell diesel to Nord Naphtha. New Stream later gave notification of a force majeure event and eventually Nord terminated the contract due to…
Detailed minutes: Trade Contact Group – ad hoc meeting related to Ukraine/Russia The Commission and the EU Delegation to Russia announced the following points: The EU has put in…
The Court of Appeal held that recovery of damages for wasted expenditure did not fall within a clause excluding damages for loss of profit. Background The case related to an…
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