\u2018El Canal Mar\u00edtimo y Log\u00edstico\u2019 took advantage of the celebration of the annual meeting of AIYON Abogados S.L.P. to meet in Bilbao with the five partners of the firm. Close to celebrating 10 years in the market, each of them pointed out the strengths of their multidisciplinary team of lawyers, as well as the different challenges they face on a daily basis from their offices located in Madrid, Cadiz, Bilbao and Algeciras.<\/p>\n
We invite you to rea the article in its entirety from the link at the end of this article,<\/u> highlighting below some of the statements made by the partners.<\/p>\n
As expert lawyers in chartering and leasing of vessels, both for general cargo and project cargo, AIYON has also been specializing in off.shore construction projects. In this regard, AIYON\u2019s partner in Bilbao, Mikel Garteiz-goxeaskoa, states, \u2018This experience has given us the opportunity to assist from our Bilbao office local companies such as SAITEC Offshore Technologies, S.L., in projects as innovative as the launching and installation of its DemoSATH floating offshore wind platform in the BIMEP test area (Armintza), in the open sea two miles off the coast, and in waters 90 meters deep, as AIYON aspires to be a benchmark for companies operating in this sector due to its in-depth knowledge of Maritime Law in all its areas\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n With regard to the specific offshore wind sector, Mikel Garteiz-goxeaskoa highlights the firm\u2019s strengths: \u2018In addition to our knowledge and experience, we also have a large international network of collaborating lawyers, also specialized in these matters, mainly from the United Kingdom and Northern Europe. This allows us to rely at all times on up-to-date professionals in their respective jurisdictions to resolve any issued that may arise in the negotiation of the contracts concerned.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n When asked about their latest performances in Madrid, the firm\u2019s partner, Ver\u00f3nica Meana, points our that: \u2018We have recently seen in the office a notable increase in the number of cases that are resolved in institutional arbitration in these matters, either under CIAM or ICC rules, compared to the percentage of cases that go to court, which is still higher. This increase, although independent, runs parallel to the firm\u2019s involvement in the Maritime Law working group within the Spanish Maritime Law Association in collaborating with CIAM, in an effort to promote maritime arbitration in Spain as an efficient and quality alternative means of dispute resolution.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n AIYON\u2019s involvement in the teaching and preparation of the new generations is part of its hallmark, a fact that Ver\u00f3nica wants to highlight: \u2018On the other hand, form Madrid, as from the rest of our offices, we continue to contribute to the teaching of maritime law. In my case, participating as a lecturer in the Master\u2019s degree of both the IME (Spanish Maritime Institute) and the ISDE (Higher Institute of Law and Economics) in the subjects of maritime law and land transport.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018In Aiyon we know what it means to be at the side of both maritime and land carriers on a daily basis\u2019<\/em>, says Enrique Ortiz, partner of the Cadiz office. \u2018And we know what it is like to be there for them both in normal circumstances and in urgent situations that require quick action (such as refusals of delivery by receivers, accidents, blocking of the means of transport by the authorities, etc.). What\u2019s more, in exceptional circumstances, such as during the Covid confinement period or during the road transport stoppages and strikes that took place throughout the country between March and April 2022, our customers have always been able to counts on us.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n In fact, the situation in times of strikes and stoppages in the transport sector was not easy for the companies dedicated to land transport, and many of them, due to the convulsions of the time, even suffered damage to their vehicles caused by a group of people who, in favour of the strike during those dates, \u2018took it\u2019, in an absolutely vehement manner, against the vehicles in question. In relation to these events, which occurred to a significant number of road haulage companies and vehicles, Enrique can confirm that AIYON has recently managed to obtain, for one of its clients, a favourable ruling in the first instance, subject to appeal, against the Insurance Compensation Consortium, ensuring that concepts such as \u2018riot\u2019 and \u2018extraordinary risk\u2019 are not emptied of content, thereby rendering ineffective the coverage of claims that correspond to the Insurance Compensation Consortium. Let us not forget that the Consortium collects part of the premiums that insured hauliers pay to their insurance companies.<\/p>\n Asked about the great activity of the Port of Algeciras, our partner in the location, Jos\u00e9 Dom\u00ednguez, tells us: \u2018The port of Algeciras occupies a pre-eminent position within the Spanish port system. From our office in Algeciras, we provide \u2018dockside\u2019 assistance to shipping companies that provide passenger and goods transport services, both containers and roll-on\/roll-off cargo in the Strait of Gibraltar, constantly advising not only in the day-to-day handling of all types of cargo and passengers claims, but also in the planning and management phases of the shipping companies to face challenges such as those of the so-called Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE). To this end, we regularly advise on charterparties, slot charters, shipbuilding and ship repair contracts, ancillary contracts and agreements such as stevedoring, confinement, etc. This is a part of the business that I particularly enjoy, as my background as a merchant seafarer is of great help to our clients, as I speak the same language as they do.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Another of the most important traffics of Algeciras is the supply of fuel to ships, the so-called bunkering. Dom\u00ednguez indicates in this respect that: \u2018Algeciras is one of the most important bunkering ports in the Mediterranean. The maritime traffic through the Strait of Gibraltar, together with the magnificent anchorage of the port, make our port especially attractive for this type of operations. The figures that are handled are very relevant, close to 350,000 tons of oil products to ships, at a rate of approximately 200 ships supplied per month by a fleet of more than 15 barges of different sizes.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n