About Benjamin
Ben is an Associate in the Perth office and specialises in the area of dispute resolution in the shipping and construction sectors. Ben has dual qualifications in engineering and law. He has assisted in the defence of shipping and aviation cargo damage claims, and has advised on vessel off-hire and shipbuilding disputes, charter party, bills of lading and contract of affreightment claims, port agent arrangements, offshore EPCI and subsea construction contracts, mining offtake agreements, as well as a range of regulatory matters including those flowing from marine incidents, accidents, towing and wreck removals, and the disposal of end of life vessels within Australia and overseas under Australia’s hazardous waste regime. He has experience with London and WA-based arbitration arising from construction and shipping disputes on major Australian gas and resource projects, and actions in civil and criminal proceedings in the WA courts.
Ben is admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia and sits on the committee of the WA branch of the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to qualifying as a lawyer, Ben spent ten years as a naval architect and marine warranty surveyor. He began his career at an Australian shipbuilder and later acted as warranty surveyor on behalf of marine and offshore underwriters for a number of major Australian resource projects. As a surveyor, he has performed a wide range of specialised surveys on various vessels and the technical review of marine transportation and offshore installation. Ben’s past experience as a surveyor includes acting on behalf of vessel charterers and owners as an accredited Offshore Vessel Inspection Database (OVID) surveyor.
Ben has BOSIET training to allow him to serve offshore oil and gas clients.