The Protocol

From the first moment of crisis to a binding settlement agreement.

SeaSolveX™ is a 360° strategic facilitation protocol: seven disciplined steps, four structured phases, two co-mediators — and one coordinated commercial direction for every party in the chain.

The Seven Steps

Every letter is a discipline. Together they are the method.

S
Situation Mapping
Clarity on risk, contracts & positions
Expert mapping of every claim, contract and competing position across the full dispute chain — producing the SeaSolveX Dispute Map that all parties receive at the outset.
O
Objectives Alignment
Real priorities, not stated positions
Private engagement with each party to identify the commercial interests beneath the legal claims. What each party actually needs is rarely identical to what their lawyers are arguing.
L
Leverage Identification
Strength, flexibility & creative options
Every party has points of strength and points of flexibility. Identifying both — honestly and confidentially — creates space for commercial solutions legal proceedings cannot generate.
V
Value Creation
Smarter commercial solutions
Mediated settlements deliver what no tribunal can order: shared-risk formulae, future voyage protocols, adjusted commercial terms, preserved relationships. This is the value of the process.
E
Execution
Structured facilitation — not theatre
Joint sessions, simultaneous private caucuses, expert evaluation of novel legal issues. Co-mediation parcelling: one mediator running the Gulf-facing parties in Dubai while the other manages the English-law framework in London — simultaneously.
X
eXtended Protection
Future safeguards & forward protocols
The settlement is not just a resolution of the past — it is a framework for the future: agreed war-risk premium allocation, rerouting protocols, notice procedures, and Singapore Convention-compliant enforcement.
360°
The Full Arc — end-to-end, not just a single day
From initial crisis mapping, through pre-mediation positioning, the mediation sessions themselves, and final settlement drafting — SeaSolveX manages the complete journey. No law firm required at the settlement-drafting stage. We seal the agreement.
The Four-Phase Process

Fixed phases. Transparent fees. A defined path to settlement.

01
Scan
Dispute Mapping & Triage
Expert assessment of all claims, contracts and positions across the chain. We deliver a structured Dispute Map — key issues under CONWARTIME 2025, VOYWAR, BIMCO force-majeure and safe-port provisions; the realistic range of LMAA outcomes; and the commercial interests beneath each stated position.
£10k–£35k
Fixed fee, non-refundable
1–2 weeks
02
Align
Pre-Mediation Positioning
Structured separate engagement with each party — reviewing position papers, identifying underlying commercial interests distinct from legal positions, and preparing each party to negotiate rather than perform. This is the difference between a mediation that works and one that fails.
Day Rate
Per co-mediator, per party
2–5 days total
03
Resolve
The Mediation Sessions
Structured joint sessions, simultaneous private caucuses using co-mediation parcelling, and expert evaluation of novel issues — the CONWARTIME 2025 "reasonable endeavours" obligation and off-hire during enforced anchorage. Both mediators run parallel caucuses, addressing the Gulf and English-law dimensions concurrently.
£14k–£35k
Combined day rate
1–3 days
04
Seal
Settlement Agreement & Enforcement
Expert-led drafting — legally robust under English and UAE law; Singapore Convention-compliant for direct enforcement in Japan, Qatar, Singapore, UAE, India and 14 other signatory states. Eliminates the need to instruct external firms to convert heads of terms into a binding agreement, saving £20k–£50k and weeks of delay. Binding. Enforceable.
£7k–£15k
Fixed fee
2–3 days drafting
Our Role — A Critical Distinction

Neutral strategic resolution architects. Not advocates. Not arbitrators. A compass.

What we do
We facilitate. We navigate. We oversee.
✓Provide a safe, without-prejudice environment for all parties
✓Ensure clarity, integrity and alignment throughout the process
✓Maintain commercial and legal coherence under pressure
✓Test positions against contractual and commercial reality
✓Create the space for outcomes that litigation cannot produce
✓Draft the final settlement agreement — binding and enforceable
Parties remain free to seek independent legal advice at all times. SeaSolveX does not provide legal advice to any party. Our role is facilitation, not representation.
What SeaSolveX is not
✕Not a law firm — no legal advice to any party
✕Not an arbitration — no binding determination imposed
✕Not another advisor adding noise — we reduce it
✕Not more legal arguments — structured commercial alignment
London Hub
UK Co-Mediator
DLA Piper · Al Tamimi · 18 years shipping litigation · Japan client access
Dubai / DIFC Hub
Gulf Co-Mediator
Clifford Chance · HFW · Hadef & Partners · 35 years shipping litigation
Engagement Model

Three ways to engage. One outcome: alignment.

01
72-Hour Rapid Response
Immediate crisis intervention
Deployed within 72 hours of a crisis trigger. Dispute mapping begins immediately; a commercial communication framework is established before positions harden into formal claims.
£10,000–£25,000
Phase 1 fixed fee — charged on engagement
02
Pre-Risk Alignment Session
Before high-risk voyages
A structured alignment session before a voyage into high-risk zones — agreeing protocols for war-risk scenarios, insurance triggers, transit refusals and force-majeure thresholds. Prevention is cheaper than cure.
£5,000–£12,000
Half- to full-day session, co-mediation model
03
Post-Incident Resolution
Fast-track settlement
Where claims are filed or LMAA appointments made, SeaSolveX intervenes to resolve before the full cost of arbitration is incurred — and can run parallel to LMAA proceedings. BIMCO mediation-cost sanctions create contractual pressure to engage.
Full process fees
Phases 1–4, per dispute profile
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