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.
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 ‘With the rise in piracy Stephen has developed an expertise in advising owners and other stakeholders on the legal and practical considerations that arise as a result of a hijacked vessel.
He speaks and writes extensively on this and on issues arising in the evolving maritime security sector. He was part of the GUARDCON drafting committee and appeared in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee looking into piracy off Somalia. More recently he has been part of the Industry Advisory Panel working with the International Task Force set up to the payment of ransoms.
He has worked on many high profile maritime casualties and hijacking off both east and west Africa including the Faina during her hijacking off Somalia.
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.
'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