The 36 Group is widely recognised for its depth of expertise in maritime law and arbitration, with additional strengths in insurance disputes and contractual matters arising from bills of lading and contracts of affreightment. Vasanti Selvaratnam KC recently appeared before the Supreme Court in MUR Shipping BV v RTI Ltd, a case which clarified the application of force majeure clauses, after the purchaser of a shipment of bauxite proposed to pay in Euros rather than US dollars. Mark Jones also acted before the Supreme Court in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV, a key decision examining liability issues arising from Somali pirate attacks. Andrew Ng appeared in the Supreme Court of Gibraltar in a matter addressing the scope of liability limitation in maritime claims, acting for Oldstone Cargo Limited. Charles Debattista was instructed in Stouranas Stylianos Monoprosopi v Maersk, a use concerning the description of goods on bills of lading after the buyers of scrap metal sought to bring an action against the carriers of a cargo of cement tiles were fraudulently labelled as scrap metal.
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Profile
Work Department
36 Stone
Position
Charles Debattista practises as counsel in the areas of dry shipping law, international trade and international arbitration. He appears in Court and in arbitrations in the UK and abroad, and also regularly provides Expert Opinions on English law for use in Courts and Tribunals abroad.
He has also regularly sat as an Arbitrator over almost two decades under LMAA, ICC, LCIA, SCMA, Swiss Chamber of Arbitration terms or ad hoc, both in this country and abroad. Widely published and cited, he has been closely associated with many of the main instruments used in shipping and trade law, spanning from COGSA 1992 to Incoterms 2020.
Much of Charles’s practice is cross-border and he has particular experience before and on tribunals composed of both common and civil lawyers, a context with which he is very comfortable having first qualified in Malta, a civilian jurisdiction, and then of course in England as a common lawyer.
Practice areas:
All areas of dry shipping
- Charterparties
- Bills of Lading, and other Cargo Documents
- Contracts of Affreightment
Commodities and International Trade
- Sale of goods contracts for bulk commodities, dry and wet
- Sale of goods in containers
- Incoterms 2020
Trade Finance
- Letters of Credit
- Bank Guarantees and Performance Bonds
International Arbitration
- Sits as arbitrator in the above areas
- Acts as Counsel before Tribunals in the above areas
- Litigation arising out of arbitrations, particularly challenges to Awards
Career
1978 (Malta); 2005 (England and Wales)
Charles has extensive experience:
- As Counsel with full rights of audience in all Courts in England and Wales
- As Arbitrator in arbitrations seated in London and elsewhere
- As Expert on points of English Law before foreign Courts and arbitral tribunals
After graduating first in Malta and then at Oxford, Charles started his career lecturing at the University of Southampton in 1979, taking a Chair in Commercial Law and heading the University’s Institute of Maritime Law for six years. Charles started an energetic practice as arbitrator in 2002. He joined Stone Chambers in 2004 and moved into full-time practice at the Bar when he left academic life in 2011. Charles was Head of 36 Stone between 2019 and 2022 and is now Joint Head (with Rachel Toney).
Much published across his practice areas, Charles’s most recent substantial work was Debattista on Bills of Lading in Commodity Trade, 4th ed, Bloomsbury Professional, with Francis Hornyold-Strickland.
Languages
English, Italian, Maltese.
Memberships
- LMAA, Supporting Member
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Baltic Exchange
- British Maritime Law Association
- Middle Temple
- Shanghai International Arbitration Centre
- Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitrators
- Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
Education
Leighton Park School, Reading; Royal University of Malta (1977 LLD); St Edmund Hall, Oxford (1979 BA; 1983 MA; Rhodes Scholar).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The clerks are responsive and easy to work with. Reiss Nott and Sam Medlock deserve particular recognition.'
- 'The 36 Group demonstrates notable strength-in-depth, particularly in maritime law and arbitration. Its barristers are highly experienced and offer a broad range of expertise across maritime disputes, including charterparty issues, ship arrest, and international trade.'
- 'The set consistently delivers high-quality advocacy and advice, making it a dependable choice for complex maritime and arbitration matters.'
- 'I have instructed Chambers for over 20 years and can say with complete confidence that they continue to produce dynamic, highly skilled barristers with an exceptional command of the law and strong commercial insight.'
- 'Their barristers are not only technically excellent but also strategically astute—able to anticipate and navigate complex challenges with clarity, confidence, and precision. The standard of advocacy, both written and oral, is consistently first-rate, and their grasp of industry-specific nuances sets them apart.'
- 'This is a Chambers that cultivates excellence. They remain my first port of call for high-stakes, commercially sensitive matters.'
- '36 Stone is a set I genuinely enjoy working with. While they are well known for their expertise in shipping and international trade, they bring considerable depth and capability across a wide spectrum of commercial work.'
- '36 Stone is excellent, offering strength and depth across all levels of seniority.'