Andrew Robinson

Director
Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa Inc

Durban
South Africa
T:+27 31 582 5630
Durban
South Africa
T:+27 31 582 5630
Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson

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Biography

Andrew Robinson is a Director in Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa’s Transport Practice.

He is the firm’s erstwhile CEO and was the firm’s Global Chair in 2020. He sat on both the Global Firm’s Management and Supervisory Boards from 2019 to 2023.

Having been in practice since 1988, Andrew has developed a diverse transport practice. He has litigated in some of South Africa’s largest shipping cases (most recently the Salvaliant and Great Storm matters) and has advised most of South Africa’s marine insurers on complicated coverage and recovery matters, almost all of which were amicably resolved.

He represented marine insurers in one of the largest casualties to impact the local market – the MSC Napoli – all of which we resolved through negotiation and mediation.

He currently heads up a small team of Port Regulatory experts who advise port users – stevedores, freight operators and terminal operators – with regard to their leases and licences and port related disputes and has run successful appeals to the Ports Regulator.

He acts for a number of clients in the commodity and retail space and drafts bespoke international sale and logistics agreements that are particularly appropriate to the commodities in question. He recently drafted a unique suite of FOB and CFR agreements and related charterparties for a Namibian based salt refiner.

He is regularly asked to review and amend marine related insurance clauses by the leading marine insurers or underwriting managers.

He engages with Government on transport related issues – most recently with the DDG for Transport regarding leases and licences involving the fuels industry operating in South African ports.

Andrew also specializes in contract drafting and contract review work providing risk management and contract advice to clients, particularly those in the port services, commodities, aviation, road, logistics, rail and energy sectors. He has drafted, negotiated and advised on sale and purchase agreements, master agreements and trading documentation for most metals, agricultural and energy-related commodities.

Andrew has mediated, litigated or arbitrated matters in the United States, England, France, Germany, Italy, India, Zambia, Mozambique and Belgium. He has advised port authorities, port terminals, warehousemen, stevedores, commodity traders, P&I clubs, ship-owners and underwriters in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, China, Singapore, Germany, England, Italy, France, Scandinavia, Belgium and the US.

Andrew is listed, ranked and recognized as a recommended transport lawyer in various significant directories, most recently in Chambers Global South Africa, for shipping. 


Professional experience

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  • BA LLB (University of Cape Town)
  • LLM (University of Wales)
  • Post graduate diploma in environmental law (UKZN)
  • He has been instructed by the leading South African marine insurers and brokers to develop innovative insurance products relevant to cargo insurance.
  • He has been involved in a number of high-profile casualty-related matters, including representing ship owners, a P&I club and its member in the mt "Salvaliant" casualty, which was one of the largest and most complicated maritime casualties off the South African coast and involved complicated legal issues and evidence from seven jurisdictions.
  • He represented the insurers of a coal terminal that suffered extensive damage following an incident in April 2017 involving the vessel "Julian" that resulted in litigation in South Africa, Germany and Hong Kong.
  • He represents the South African liability insurers (and their London re-insurers) of the Durban port authority, TNPA, which are facing significant claims for damage to vessels and infrastructure following a violent storm in October 2017.
  • He is advising the South African Petroleum Industry Association on new strategies relevant to the development of the Island View storage and manufacturing precinct in Durban harbour;
  • He represents the liability insurers of a clearing and forwarding company in a multi-million rand tobacco fraud;
  • He represents the liability insurers of a warehouseman faced with multi-million dollar claims following a fire at its warehouse in 2017;
  • He has negotiated with the National Ports Authority for various oil majors regarding the development of the Durban Dig Out Port project;
  • He provided general advice to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Mombasa and its liability insurers, Navigators, on the interpretation of the relevant KPA trading term, mostly defending claims brought by cargo interests whose cargo had been lost, damaged or stolen;
  • He regularly advises Bidfreight Port Operations on the National Ports Act and the regulations relevant to licencing, negotiating licencing issues with the National Ports Authority;
  • He has advised various international retailers on logistics arrangements and drafted contracts relevant thereto;
  • He has advised a Namibian salt trader on its sales into Europe, Africa and the US and has drafted sale and Charterparty agreements relevant thereto;
  • At the height of the Somali piracy activity, he provided the local insurance industry with advice on payment of ransom and general average contributions. He is also a regular presenter at the premier South African Marine Insurance Forum and is often asked to chair or present at national and international conferences on transport issues.
  • Andrew is ranked Band 1 for Shipping in Chambers 2024, and has been ranked for the past 8 years. Client quotes from Chambers:

"Andrew Robinson is meticulous and knows what he is doing."

"He is a very good and capable lawyer."

  • Andrew is ranked as a Key Lawyer for Shipping & Transport in the Legal 500 2024. Client quotes from the Legal 500:

“Andrew Robinson is always available. He is also exceptionally well connected within the shipping and legal communities.”

  • Andrew has been recognised for Shipping by Chambers Global, 2017."I sometimes wonder when he sleeps," stated one source. "He seems to work 24/7 and is incredibly conscientious" and is "always immaculate, and always excellent."
  • He is referred to in The Expert Guides: Shipping and Maritime Lawyers and the 2009 and 2010 editions of WHO'S WHO LEGAL, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Shipping & Maritime.
  • He was also listed as a leading lawyer in the Transport industry by Who's Who Legal Transport 2015 (Aviation contentious & Shipping).  Andrew is also listed as a recommended shipping and transport lawyer in Legal500, 2018.  Who's Who Legal, 2016 listed Andrew as an expert in Transport (Shipping).

Andrew has authored:

  • The chapter on South African Law of Cargo Insurance as part of the International Cargo Insurance book edited by John Dunt.
  • The chapter on Flag and Registration of Vessels in the Kluwer Maritime Law Handbook edited by inter alia, Jonathan Lux.
  • Numerous articles that have appeared in a broad spectrum of business, trade and television media.

Drafting Legislation and Rules:

  • He chaired the sub-committee that drafted the proposed amendments to the Admiralty Jurisdiction Regulation Act and related Rules.
  • He participated in the drafting of Maritime Law Association Maritime Arbitration Rules.
  • He drafted a Domestic Carriage of Goods by Road Act for the Association of Marine Underwriters of South Africa.
  • He was part of the working group that drafted the document that became the UN Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships.
  • He was part of a working group of the MLA that drafted a Marine Insurance Contracts Act.
  • He was the President of the South African Maritime Law Association from 2008 - 2010 and is currently the Chairman of the Admiralty sub-committee of that association.
  • He led the South African delegations to the Comite Maritime Internationale (CMI) Conferences and Colloquia in Athens, 2008, Beijing in 2012 and Dublin, Ireland in 2013, Istanbul 2015, New York 2016, Antwerp in 2022 and Gothenburg in 2024.
  • He was the Rapporteur and member of a CMI International Working Group for the Judicial Sale of Ships that produced the UN Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships.
  • He is a member of the CMI Ratification of Rotterdam Rules Standing Committee
  • He is an Adjunct External Fellow Member of the Centre for Maritime Law, Singapore.
  • He regularly participates on panels, presents papers and chairs workshop sessions at numerous conferences, most recently at the CMI Colloquium in Gothenburg where he presented a paper on Africa and the Rotterdam Rules.