Chinese Court Settles $26.5M Maritime Dispute Involving Antigua and Barbuda-Flagged Ship

A Chinese maritime court has successfully mediated a US$26.5 million dispute arising from a collision involving an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.

China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) announced Monday that the Guangzhou Maritime Court had helped bring an end to the dispute involving the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Adalynn and the Liberia-flagged Front Eagle.

The two foreign-owned and operated vessels collided in June 2025 in waters near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Claims stemming from the collision eventually reached 180 million yuan, or approximately US$26.5 million.

The dispute later made its way before the Chinese courts while the Front Eagle was undergoing repairs in Shenzhen, in China’s Guangdong province. The owner of the Adalynn subsequently applied to the Guangzhou Maritime Court for an order to arrest the Liberian-flagged vessel.

Both sides agreed to have the case heard by the Chinese court and selected Chinese law to govern the substantive issues in the dispute.

According to the SPC, the Guangzhou Maritime Court held four pretrial meetings between October 2025 and July 2026 before the matter went to a public hearing on July 14.

With no official investigation or findings from authorities available on the circumstances surrounding the collision, the court brought in maritime technical investigators to assist in establishing what happened.

Presiding Judge Wu Guining said the technical investigation helped reconstruct the events leading up to the collision and provided a basis for determining the respective liabilities of the parties.

Following the court-led mediation process, the two sides eventually reached a settlement. The court then organized the distribution of the liability fund in late July.

Bilov Viacheslav, a representative of the owner of the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Adalynn, said the company chose to take the dispute before a Chinese court because of its confidence in China’s legal and judicial systems.

He said the outcome validated that decision, while praising the efficiency of the court and the professionalism of the maritime experts involved in the proceedings.

The settlement brings the high-value maritime dispute to a close more than a year after the two vessels collided near the Strait of Hormuz.