Arrest of ships and insolvency – Canadian courts apparently confirm orthodoxy

Last Friday Sigurdson J in the British Columbia Supreme Court recognised the Korean Hanjin bankruptcy proceedings under the UNCITRAL Model Law and banned further arrests of Hanjin vessels should they visit Vancouver or other BC ports. Importantly, however, he left existing arrests in place. We have not seen the text of his decision (though it is referred to here and here (£)): but it seems to reflect orthodoxy. Assuming an in rem claim against a vessel does not arise out of a maritime lien, under the orthodox rules of Admiralty in England and Canada it survives insolvency if brought before the inception of insolvency but not if brought afterwards (see Re Aro Co Ltd [1980] Ch 196 and The Oriental Baltic [2011] 1 SLR 487). Where the bankruptcy is foreign the relevant time is that of its recognition. Hence there seems nothing surprising about this determination.