Expert Witness

Paul Willcox has over 40 years of experience as a ship sale and purchase broker and ship valuer. He is regularly called upon to give expert evidence in court and arbitration cases in the UK, USA and elsewhere

Sale and purchase practice

Newbuilding contracting practice

Court sales and arrested vessels

Secondhand and newbuilding ship values:

  • Bulkcarriers
  • Containerships
  • Tankers

Experience

A ship sale and purchase broker and ship valuer since 1974, with Eggar Forrester and its subsidiary CW Kellock & Co.

As a broker Paul Willcox acts for shipowners, banks and government agencies world-wide, several on an exclusive basis, covering most types of vessel. For the last 30 years He has been the exclusive shipbroker and sworn ship valuer to the Admiralty Marshal of the Courts of Justice in England & Wales. He has also acted exclusively for the respective Admiralty Marshals of Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and Northern Ireland.

As a ship valuer he undertakes ship valuations for a regular clientele of international banks, insurers, lawyers, classification societies and shipowners.

As an Expert Witness, Paul Willcox first gave evidence in the celebrated ‘Aktion’ case in the High Court in 1987. In recent years he has given evidence in Court and Arbitration proceedings in the UK, the USA and elsewhere including:

  • August 2008;  Government of the Russian Federation v. Yuri Nikitin and Dmitri Skarga (City of Westminster Magistrates Court):  he prepared a statement and gave evidence on the values of a number of secondhand tankers purchased through the defendants.
  • October 2009:  In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report on the historical market valuations of two secondhand tankers. 
  • March 2011:  In a confidential arbitration, he prepared an expert report on the value of a newbuilding bulkcarrier.
  • September 2011:  In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report and gave evidence on the value of a resale newbuilding bulkcarrier and on shipbroking practice.
  • November 2011 to December 2012: In the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, in re Chapter 11, Baytown Navigation Inc. et al., he prepared expert reports and gave evidence on the values of 8 secondhand tankers.
  • June 2012: In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division, Civil Action No, 2:12-CV-00163 Rowan Companies Inc et al. v mt FR8 Pride et al, he gave evidence on the value of a secondhand tanker.
  • May 2013: In a confidential arbitration proceeding he prepared an expert report and gave evidence on the values of 2 newbuilding tankers.
  • February 2015: For the High Court in London, Transtar SA v Aspen Insurance UK and others, he prepared an expert report on the value of a gas carrier.
  • February 2015: For the High Court in London, Kairos Shipping Limited and Others v Enka & Co LLC and Others, he prepared a report as a single jointly instructed expert on the sale and scrap values of a bulkcarrier.
  • April 2015:  In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report and gave evidence on the value of a capesize bulkcarrier.
  • October 2015: For the High Court in London, RAK Africana Shipping Limited v Al-Sagr National Insurance Company, He prepared an expert report on the value of a general cargo vessel.
  • October 2016:  In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report on the value of an aframax tanker.
  • November 2016:  In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report on the value of a containership.
  • June 2017: In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report and gave evidence on the value of a capesize bulkcarrier and on ship sale and purchase practice.
  • September 2018: In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report and gave evidence on the value of an aframax tanker and on ship sale and purchase practice.
  • November 2018: In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report on the value of two handysize products tankers and on ship sale and purchase practice
  • May 2020: In a confidential arbitration proceeding, he prepared an expert report on the value of a large containership.
  • April 2021: In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Civil Action No 20-2845 c/w 20-2871m/v Atina, IMO 9593000 v Hanzhou 1 Ltd, he gave evidence on the value of a suezmax tanker.