Stephen’s primary area of expertise and experience is wet and dry shipping. Whilst in Greece he headed the local Admiralty team, acting for owners and their insurers in the aftermath of maritime incidents including salvage, wreck removal, collisions and piracy. He advises on all areas of Admiralty law as well as on contractual issues arising out of charterparties and bills of lading. He acted for the owners of the Voutakos, a LOF salvage case which went to the High Court and considered the controversial issues arising out of rescue tow cases and the “disparity principle”.
Stephen has developed expertise in advising owners and port operators on crisis communication and dealing with the media in high profile cases. He regularly lectures on this and general crisis management and speaks extensively on the legal issues arising from piracy and hijacking.
He was part of the team handling the Prestige oil spill and acted for salvors in the MSC Napoli. More recently he advised the owners of the Faina during her hijacking off Somalia.
"Stephen Askins is widely recognised as a market expert on piracy matters: “He's a high-profile name in the field and works incredibly hard to keep at the forefront.”" Chambers & Partners, 2012
Stephen handles marine insurance cases, acting for both owners and underwriters, particularly on coverage issues arising out of major maritime accidents. In the reported case of the Kastor Too he acted for owners of a vessel that caught fire and then sank. The case examined the relationship between a CTL and an ATL and the issue of the notice of abandonment.
Stephen has acted for War Risk underwriters on issues arising out of piracy and hijacking. He advised on the Golden Lucy, which exploded during discharge in the Niger Delta and was then looted by local gun men.