GULF OFFSHORE LOGISTIC vs. BLUEFONE MARINE GH. [2021]DLCA10035

Date	2021-02-03
Suit No.	SUIT NO. H3/44/2021
Citation No.	[2021]DLCA10035

WELBOURNE (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING)

AMMA GAISIE (MRS) J.A.

BAAH J.A

NATHAN YANNEY FOR THE APPELLANT

JADIDAH WILLIAMS FOR THE RESPONDENT

[2021]DLCA10035
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >GULF
OFFSHORE LOGISTIC<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>BLUEFONE MARINE GH.<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT/APPLICANT/APPELLANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Calibri Light&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-latin;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">[COURT
OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Calibri Light&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:major-latin;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US">SUIT NO. H3/44/2021&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 3RD FEBRUARY, 2021<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US">NATHAN YANNEY FOR THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">JADIDAH
WILLIAMS FOR THE RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US">CORAM: <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;
mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US">WELBOURNE (MRS) J.A. (PRESIDING), AMMA GAISIE (MRS)
J.A., BAAH J.A.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;WELBOURNE, J.A<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The Respondent/Applicant/Appellant/Applicant
counsel moved an application on Notice for stay of execution pending appeal, to
wit for an order to stay the execution of a foreign arbitial award.<o:p></o:p>Counsel for the Applicant anchored his arguments on
two main grounds: <o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0cm" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">That the appeal
 has a high chance of success based on the lack of substantive jurisdiction
 of the Sole Arbitrator that granted the award.<o:p></o:p></li>
 <li class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
 mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">The
 Non-compliance of the Respondent with the provisions of the statute when
 it applied for leave to enforce the arbitral award.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol>The Applicant also sought to draw a distinction
between the parties agreeing to dispute resolution by the LMAA with respect to
the Time Charter and resolving disputes regarding the operational agreement
under the Rules of the ICC.<o:p></o:p>Further that there is no reciprocal agreement between
the Government of Ghana and the U.K. in the enforcement of Arbitral Awards and
therefore the Respondent could not seek leave to enforce such an award within
the jurisdiction of the court.<o:p></o:p>Finally, if the execution is allowed to proceed, it
will render the appeal nugatory as a third party would have acquired the
subject property by way of judicial sale.<o:p></o:p>Counsel referred the court to the following cases: Boyefio
vrs NTHC Properties Ltd. [1995-96] SCGLR and Republic vrs High Court Ex Parte
Khoury [1991] 2 GLR 333 on the point of ensuring that where a statute
prescribed a procedure for doing something it should be complied with.<o:p></o:p>The Respondents opposed the arguments made. They
referred the court to Section 59 (1) (b) of the ADR Act. They stated that as
Ghana is a signatory to the New York Convention, the issue of reciprocity as
referred to by the Applicant does not arise, and therefore arguments made by
counsel for the Applicant does not hold.<o:p></o:p>Furthermore, the patties themselves chose to be
governed by English Law with regards to the arbitration.<o:p></o:p>Indeed, the parties had the right under the lex arbitri to challenge any
ruling/decision of the Sole arbitrator under Section 70 of the English
Arbitration Act,</main>