The Commercial Case

In maritime disputes, delay is not neutral. It is expensive.

Every day without alignment is a day the dispute grows. The cost trajectory is one-directional: upward. Days become months. Months become years. Relationships become adversaries.

The Cost of Inaction

From crisis to a contested award — the escalation no one chooses, but many reach.

Day 1
Crisis strikes
Misalignment begins. Advisors instructed. Positions informally taken.
Week 1
Demurrage & delay
£20k–50k/vessel/day accruing. War cover cancelled. Freight market disrupted.
Month 1
Arbitration notices
Formal LMAA appointments. Legal costs begin. Claims crystallise.
Year 1
Full proceedings
£300k–£800k per party. Management time consumed. Relationships severed.
Year 2+
Award — if reached
Binary outcome. No nuance. Relationship gone. £1.5M–£3M+ for a chain dispute.
£50k
Per vessel per day — demurrage and delay for major carriers during the crisis
4–5×
Separate LMAA arbitrations a single multi-party chain dispute generates
£3M+
Combined legal cost for a four-party chain dispute over 24 months
Zero
Commercial relationships preserved after a fully contested arbitration
The Numbers

The numbers make the argument irrefutable.

On a £25M multi-party Hormuz chain dispute, the total SeaSolveX engagement — all four phases, both co-mediators, settlement included — is roughly 3–5% of contested LMAA arbitration. That is not a marginal saving. It is a fundamental restructuring of the economics of dispute resolution.

Contested LMAA Arbitration
The traditional route
Arbitrator fees (3-panel)£50k–£150k
Legal costs — both parties£300k–£800k
Duration to award18–36 months
Commercial relationshipDestroyed
Outcome certaintyNone
Multi-party chain (×4–5 refs)£1.5M–£3M+
SeaSolveX — Full Process
The structured route
Phase 1 — Scan£10k–£35k
Phase 2+3 — Align & Resolve£35k–£60k
Duration — full process1–3 days
Commercial relationshipPreserved
Outcome certaintyParty-controlled
Phase 4 — Seal (all parties)£7k–£15k
Typical saving — multi-party Hormuz dispute
95–97%
A complex Gulf chain engagement through SeaSolveX totals £82k–£140k. The same dispute across four separate LMAA references costs £1.5M–£3M+ over two to three years — with no certainty of outcome, destroyed trading relationships, and a result neither party controls.
Stakeholder Benefits

Every stakeholder gains. The entire chain resolves.

SeaSolveX does not privilege one party over another. Every party in the chain — owner, charterer, insurer, cargo interest — achieves a materially better outcome than adversarial arbitration.

Shipowners
Vessel protection & clarity
→Reduced war-risk claims exposure
→Clarity on transit decisions & hire
→CONWARTIME 2025 evidence strategy
→Chain resolved in one process
Charterers
Cost control & contracts
→Off-hire & demurrage without LMAA
→Force-majeure position tested
→War-risk premium agreed, not litigated
→Forward voyage protocols agreed
Cargo & Traders
Supply-chain continuity
→Stranded-cargo disputes resolved
→FM declarations on LNG/crude assessed
→Market position protected by speed
→Enforcement in Japan, UAE, Qatar
Insurers & P&I
Lower claims volatility
→FD&D cost containment
→Crew & wage claims managed with MLC
→Hull war quantum agreed faster
→Preferred-panel arrangements available
Speed
Days, not months or years
Cost
3–5% of full LMAA arbitration
Continuity
Trade moves. Relationships intact.
Alignment
One direction for all parties
Clarity
Structured decisions, not noise
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