Daphne is a Singapore and English law qualified lawyer with an active contentious and non-contentious practice in shipping and international trade.

Daphne joined the shipping industry more than 10 years ago when she started her career as a Singapore lawyer with Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP. Since then, she has acted for various players in this industry, such as financial institutions, insurers (P&I and H&M), shipyards, shipowners, charterers/operators, bunker traders and cargo owners.

Daphne spent 2 years with an IG P&I Club in Singapore before rejoining the team at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP in 2021. As a claims handler, she worked closely with the Club’s shipowner and operator membership on their P&I and FDD claims. This has given her invaluable insight from a client’s perspective which she carries with her in the conduct of her matters.

Daphne’s contentious practice spans both wet and dry shipping. Her experience in this respect includes disputes arising from collisions, bills of lading, charterparties, crew injury/death, bunker contamination and commodity sale and purchase contracts.

As a part of her contentious practice, Daphne regularly attends before the Singapore courts for admiralty and non-admiralty claims. This includes applications to the Singapore court for security in respect of admiralty claims (ie. vessel arrest applications). Daphne is also regularly involved in arbitration proceedings arising from charterparty and commodity sale and purchase contracts.

On the non-contentious side, Daphne has advised and assisted container line clients with the review of their bill of lading terms and conditions. She has also assisted clients with the review of prospective charterparties and bespoke chartering terms (such as amended BIMCO EEXI and CII Clauses).

Daphne is fluent in both English and Mandarin (Chinese).

Notable Cases & Transactions

• Successfully represented a Chinese intermediate charterer in seeking recovery of outstanding hire from their immediate charterer and in enforcing lien over sub-freights from end-voyage charterers.
• Successfully acted for a palm oil trader and charterer in the arrest of a vessel arising from insolvent disponent owners’ breach of charterparty, and eventually obtaining a favourable level of recovery at just under 85%.
• Successfully acted for a trade finance bank to enforce a letter of indemnity for delivery of cargo in Egypt without presentation of original bills of lading.
• Successfully acted for a leading container line in obtaining a ship inspection order from the Singapore High Court.
• Successfully acted for a leading container line against cargo interests in a lis alibi pendens application.
• Successfully acted for bunker traders, container line operators, shipyards and other industry players in the arrest of vessels in Singapore and Malaysia.
• Acted for owners of a cruise ship in the defence of dependency claims arising from the death of a passenger on board.
• Acted for a bunker trader in a dispute with a trade finance bank arising from the use of set-off agreements with trading counterparties.