Our partner, Konstantin Putrya, participated in the 2nd DRC Forum “It's Time to Build” on 22-24 April 2025. The event focused on construction contract management and the resolution of construction disputes, bringing together leading professionals from the infrastructure, energy, maritime, and legal sectors.
In March 2025, the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery filed two claims seeking to revoke crab fishing contracts granted under investment quotas in the Barents Sea. The claims are against two companies (Alfa trade LLC and Eta-trade LLC) belonging to the North-West Fishing Consortium (NWFC).
The companies secured investment quotas for crab fishing in the Barents Sea in 2019. Under the contracts with the state, the NWFC had to finance construction of five crab trawlers at Russian shipyards. The construction was commissioned to the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard. However, the construction deadlines were missed due to sanctions-related restrictions and disruptions in equipment supply.
Our managing partner Konstantin Krasnokutskiy commented on the dispute for the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti: “If the claim is sustained and the companies lose their quotas, the NWFC will suffer significant investment losses.” While the future of the crab trawlers ordered by the NWFC now becomes uncertain, Konstantin emphasized that these vessels were clearly intended for a specific fishing project.
The full text is available at https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2025/04/25/1106625-szrk-mozhet-lishitsya-krabovih-kvot (in Russian).
Container ship ‘Sankt–Peterburg’ grounded in the Big Port of St. Petersburg in March 2024. Terns Shipping Limited, the vessel’s owner, now files a claim of USD 5 million (RUB 420m) against Rosmorport, the Russian state-owned enterprise responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating the country's maritime transport infrastructure.
While the reasons for such a claim remain unclear, the local business newspaper DP.RU asked Konstantin Krasnokutskiy, Managing Partner of NAVICUS.LAW, to share his view on the topic.
"Rosmorport is usually involved in legal disputes over real estate (marine infrastructure), land use, or subcontracting," Konstantin noted. “Disputes over infrastructure often relate to the claims for losses — for instance, when a vessel allides with the berth owned by Rosmorport — or cases where Rosmorport is involved as a customer paying for construction/repair works.”
Read the full article at https://www.dp.ru/a/2025/04/24/vladelec-sevshego-namel-sudna (in Russian).
#NAVICUSLAW #NAVICUS #MaritimeLaw #Disputes #DP.RU #BusinessPetersburg
We are proud to share the results of the 2025 Kommersant Law Firm Ranking. NAVICUS.LAW has once again confirmed its leadership in maritime law and received recognition in several other categories (Band 1 where applicable):
Federal Ranking – Best Legal Practices
- Maritime law – 1st place out of 10 top-tier law firms
- Transport law
Federal Ranking – Best Industry Practices
- Transport and Logistics (Major Disputes)
Regional Ranking – Best Industry Practices
- Transport and Logistics (Consulting Leaders)
Our partners were recognised among the best maritime practitioners:
- Konstantin Krasnokutskiy – Band 1 in Maritime Law, Insurance Law, Transport and Logistics
- Konstantin Putrya – Band 1 in Maritime Law, Transport and Logistics
The results are available at https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7675203.
NAVICUS.LAW has once again been recognised as the leading team in maritime law in the 2025 YurTop ranking by Delovoy Peterburg.
The fifth award ceremony took place on 22 April 2025. Our colleagues Ivan Kobchenko and Ekaterina Manannikova represented NAVICUS.LAW at the ceremony.
The ranking is based on evaluations and feedback from other law firms, focusing on the firm's featured cases and prominent team members.
2024 LMAA statistics reaffirm that arbitration remains the gold standard in maritime dispute resolution. However, the future lies with hybrid mechanisms that combine arbitration, mediation, and expert evaluation. Companies should consider integrating these tools into their contracts, but the final choice will depend on a number of factors and require careful consideration.
We are pleased to announce that the partners of our firm have been included in the Pravo-300 list of recommended lawyers in maritime law.
Konstantin Krasnokutskiy and Konstantin Putrya have once again been recognized for their expertise in regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, and legal advisory in the maritime sector.
We thank our clients for their continued trust and promise to remain committed to providing best legal solutions in the industry.
We’re excited to share that Konstantin Krasnokutskiy, Managing Partner at NAVICUS.LAW, will be speaking at ShipArrested Conference 2025, held on April 24 in Cairo, Egypt.
Vessel arrests have recently risen by a fraction. Konstantin will explore the latest trends and key court decisions, including landmark rulings from the Commercial Court of Krasnodar Region, the Commercial Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region, as well as the high-profile BOSKALIS case.
Meet Konstantin at this global conference and connect with other leading maritime law experts from all over the world.
The EU has banned transactions with several Russian seaports as part of its latest 16th sanctions package. Konstantin Krasnokutskiy, managing partner at NAVICUS.LAW and President of the Russian Maritime Law Association (RUMLA), notes in his commentary to BFM.ru that these restrictions affect not only European businesses but also shipowners from third countries, which have to make a tough choice about where they will be sailing, ultimately affecting the trade turnover of Russian ports.
Read the full commentary: BFM.ru.
Our colleague Ivan Kobchenko joined the podcast "Lawyers Aboard" to share what it is really like to be a maritime lawyer.
Highlights from the interview:
- What makes maritime law different – wet shipping and dry shipping, international regulations, “maritime dictionary”
- Typical cases: building of shipping business, cargo damage, unpaid freight, incidents at sea
- Working with shipowners, P&I clubs and their correspondents across different jurisdictions
- How to enter maritime law field and where you can get a degree
- Current trends and hot topics in maritime industry and the law
🎧 Watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD5A2YhBkJM (in Russian).