This year, the Maritime Law Association of Singapore (MLAS) held the first ever MLAS Maritime Mooting Competition in partnership with the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, 20 Essex Street Chambers, Thomson Reuters, Allen & Gledhill and Rajah & Tann.  Open to anyone who has not been called to the bar, the moot competition attracted a total of 38 entrants from Singapore's two law schools, the legal service as well as law firms in the country.

Competitors had to tackle a moot problem concerning a shipbuilding contract that had been backdated in order to avoid new (non-governmental) technical regulations on the protective coating used in seawater ballast tanks. The dispute was to be heard by an arbitral panel following the rules of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration.

[Photo: (L-R) Nicholas and Dominic in the final of the competition.]

Three competitors affiliated with SMU made it to the semi-finals: Tan Si Ying (School of Law, year 2), Dominic Liew (School of Law, year 2), and Nicholas Liu Sheng (JD graduate, Class of 2015).  Dominic and Nicholas prevailed in their respective semi-final knockout rounds to face each other in an all-SMU final which was held on 29 January 2016 at Thomson Reuters.

The calibre of judges at all rounds of the competition was high, including many eminent maritime lawyers associated with the MLAS.  In particular, the final round was judged by an esteemed panel comprising the Honourable Justice Belinda Ang, Professor Lawrence Boo and Mr Malcolm Holmes QC. Nicholas represented the Claimant buyer, who was seeking to enforce the contract in order to rely on a termination/refund clause, and Dominic represented the Respondent shipbuilder, who was seeking to resist enforcement on the ground of illegality in order to keep the payments it had already received.  

[Photo: The distinguished judging panel in the final round comprising (R-L) Mr Malcolm Holmes QC, Honourable Justice Belinda Ang and Professor Lawrence Boo.  (The lady on the left end of the table is the time-keeper).]

Following a closely contested round, Nicholas was declared the champion and Dominic the first runner-up.  The judges commended both finalists on their fine advocacy and confidence under fire.  Justice Ang expressed her hope that the competition would continue to stimulate interest in maritime law among students and young practitioners in years to come.

“It was a privilege to appear before such experienced and knowledgeable judges at all stages of the competition.  I’m grateful to the organisers for this opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of contract law and the maritime industry.  I’m also delighted by the overall success of SMU representatives in the competition, which is a testament to the quality of training which the University has given us.”

As the winner, Nicholas, who is presently a Supreme Court Justices’ Law Clerk, will be offered an exceptional opportunity to do a two-week internship with 20 Essex Street Chambers in London, all expenses paid, in addition to a prize of S$1,500.

[Featured photo: Nicholas (left) and Dominic (right) with the Honourable Justice Belinda Ang.]