Quadrant On Shipping | Issue 3 | Summer 2021

We welcome you to what is now the third edition of Quadrant on Shipping.

And what an extraordinary year it has been since the last edition! At the time of writing, "live" hearings are gradually becoming more common again. What was remarkable was how rapidly, and relatively seamlessly, courts at all levels and arbitral tribunals made the switch to "virtual" hearings. It has become clear that for many matters video hearings can be more time efficient, and thus cheaper, than, real world hearings. I suggest that it is important that there should not be an unthinking return to real world hearings being the default setting for all matters. Rather, on a hearing by hearing basis, the court or tribunal and the parties should consider whether a video or real world hearing is likely to be more effective and efficient.