Ivan Kobchenko
Director
Ivan heads the firm’s St. Petersburg office. Since joining NAVICUS.LAW, he has been involved in Russia’s top-tier cases involving ship collisions, oil spills, military and other marine casualties. In recent years, Ivan has been extensively engaged in complex projects concerning the arrest of vessels under international sanctions and trade embargoes. He regularly represents shipowners and their insurers before commercial and arbitration courts, as well as customs, border control, and other maritime state authorities.
Tel+7 (812) 640 07 98
Emailik@navicus.law
Key Practice Areas
Maritime Casualties Cases
Oil and bunker fuel spills, ship collisions, allisions with port facilities, ship groundings, their salvage, and incidents arising from war risks.
Ship and Cargo Arrests
Ensuring both arrests of ships and lifting thereof in tort and contractual disputes in state and arbitration courts.
Public Law Issues
Liaising with customs, border and law enforcement authorities, and appearing before the maritime authorities of the Russian Federation on behalf of clients.
International Arbitration
Representing companies and preparing expert opinions on matters of Russian law.
Representative Experience
- Represented a foreign shipowner and its P&I Club following a bunker fuel spill in the port of St. Petersburg. The claims brought against the client totalled over $5 million. The 2001 Bunkers Convention was applied in this case for the first time in Russian history.
- Provided full legal support of a major bunker fuel spill in southern Russia. Secured the lifting of five unprecedented arrests over the client’s vessel in commercial and criminal proceedings, reducing the client’s losses by several million $.
- Represented a Greek shipowner in a high-profile case arising from a “military” incident in the port of Ust-Luga with total losses of more than $10 million.
- Achieved a settlement agreement in arbitration proceedings with salvors and secured the lifting of the arrest of a Turkish vessel following a fire on board.
- Recovered over $1,5 million in damages from the Russian state enterprise Atomflot and its insurer on behalf of a foreign shipowner following a collision on the Northern Sea Route.
- Secured the arrest of a Russian vessel simultaneously in two seaports and subsequently achieved a settlement in favour of the client following a maritime collision.
- Achieved the release of a Chinese vessel from arrest and obtained a Russian court’s recognition of the jurisdiction of the HKMAG in a dispute with a Russian charterer.
- Regularly represents shipowners before the customs authorities in administrative violations cases, ensuring that sanctions imposed are kept to the lowest possible level.
- Prepared expert opinions on Russian law and the practice of public authorities in arbitration proceedings before the LMAA and at the IDRC.
Additional Information
- Regularly represents the firm and delivers presentations at international industry events (Marine Claims International, Marine Insurance Middle East and others).
- Supervisor of the column on industry literary new releases to the Maritime Law Journal.
- Author of scholarly publications on the law of obligations, autonomous ships, oil spill liability, and other related topics.
- Graduated from the National Research University Higher School of Economics with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Law, specialising in private (commercial) law.
- Proficient in English.
Publications
- The IOPC Funds’ Claims Manual. Foreword to the translation into Russian language of the IOPC Funds’ Claims Manual along with the translation. Maritime Law Journal 1/2024
- Autonomous Shipping in Russia: Tortious Liability of Shipowners and Software Developers. Part 2. Maritime Law Journal 1/2022
- Autonomous Shipping in Russia: Tortious Liability of Shipowners and Software Developers. Part 1. Maritime Law Journal 4/2021
- Legal Consequences of the Lessee's Unwillingness to Accept the Property Leased. The English Solution for the Russian Legal Order. Civil Law, 6, 153-161 (2020)
- Term of Suretyship. Journal of the Russian School of Private Law, 3, 103-113 (2020)
- Term of Suretyship: Analysis of Case Law. Civil Law, 4, 153-166 (2020)
NAVICUS.LAW
1-A Orlovskaya street, office 31-H,
St. Petersburg, 191124, Russia
Tel.: +7 (812) 640 07 98 (Moscow)
Tel.: +7 (812) 640 07 98 (St. Petersburg)
Email: navicus@navicus.law
