Ship arrests will still be possible as Singapore goes into lockdown.

All cases due to be heard by courts from Tuesday until 4 May will be adjourned until a later date unless the matter is assessed to be urgent and essential.

Ship arrests and releases, and applications for the discharge of dangerous or perishable cargoes have been deemed urgent and essential.

Applications for the judicial sale of a vessel will be granted only in cases where the safety of the crew is a concern.

A court notice issued on Monday indicated that when determining whether a matter is essential and urgent, the court will base its decision on whether the outcome is time sensitive, or if there are any legal requirements that require the matter to be heard within a specified time frame.

“A hearing is not essential or urgent merely because it is convenient for the parties to have the matter heard early,” the notice stressed.

All hearings will be conducted via video or telephone conferencing using a remote communication technology approved by the chief justice or authorised by the court.

In recent weeks, there has been a significant rise in the number of ship arrests in Singapore over cases involving mortgage claims, damage claims, charter hire disputes and unpaid trade creditors. Nine ships are under arrest, according to the Sheriff of Singapore’s office.

The High Court of Singapore will continue to hear cases deemed urgent and essential. Photo: Socksiong/Wikimedia Commons

Singapore-based maritime lawyers expect the number of arrests to drop during the lockdown because the courts will be working at reduced capacity and the remote manner of handling matters could lengthen the time needed to process requests.

“The prioritisation will depend on the nature of the claims,” said a lawyer from a large maritime legal firm who spoke off the record to TradeWinds.

“I don’t think there will be any problems with serious claims involving large amounts of money, but I doubt the court would be too pleased if you came along with a claim for a few unpaid pots of paint.”

Last Friday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced restrictive measures in Singapore's fight against coronavirus.

Although refraining from using the word lockdown, he said Singapore would apply “circuit breakers” that include closing most workplaces, except for essential services and key economic sectors.