OW Bunker "Res Cogitans" UK Test Case Verdict to be Delivered on Wednesday

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday May 9, 2016

The much anticipated final verdict in the so-called Res Cogitans OW Bunker Test Case will be delivered on Wednesday May 11, 2016, the UK Supreme Court has said.

In a hugely anticipated ruling, the case of PST Energy 7 Shipping LLC and another (Appellants) v O.W. Bunker Malta Limited and another (Respondents) will ultimately dictate who the Appellants, as bunker buyers, should pay following the collapse of former bunker giant OW Bunker.

Three lower courts have ruled in favour of OW Bunker / ING Bank (as assignee of the now bankrupt OW Bunker), and most critically, found that the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (SoGA) did not cover contracts signed with OW Bunker.

This means that as things stand, the bunker buyer is liable to pay ING as a contractual debt, the physical supplier to claim for payment for the actual bunkers, and leaving the buyer to effectively pay for the same bunkers twice.

Having heard the final appeal in March, the decision by Lords Neuberger, Mance, Clarke, Hughes, and Toulson will shape the outcome of many other such cases being brought against bunker buyers from around the globe.

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