Law firm HFW on Monday (3 August) said it has further expanded its global shipping practice and continued the growth of its Asia Pacific business with the appointment of Peter Glover as a Partner in Singapore.

Glover, who previously worked at HFW in Melbourne for three years, has rejoined the firm from Reed Smith. Glover is an experienced shipping and admiralty lawyer and a qualified Master Mariner, having spent 11 years at sea on oil tankers prior to qualifying as a lawyer.

His appointment follows a series of recent additions to HFW’s global shipping practice, including ship finance partner Simon Petch in London, shipping disputes Partner Elizabeth Sloane in Australia and Master Mariner Stephen Angove in Greece, as well as the promotion of Senior Master Mariner Paul Miller in London.

This appointment also continues the growth of HFW’s Asia Pacific business and in particular its Singapore office, after the recent hires of financial and trade sanctions Senior Associate Anastasia Magid, construction disputes Partner Simon Bellas, disputes and international arbitration Partner Shaun Leong and Senior Associate Theodore Ang and insurance disputes Legal Director Sinyee Ong.

HFW has added more than 40 new Partners globally since the beginning of FY25 and now has around 190 Partners and more than 700 lawyers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

Adam Richardson, Singapore Office Head, HFW: “Shipping and maritime disputes remain central to our Singapore practice, reflecting the city’s role as a hub for international trade and complex cross‑border disputes. Peter’s appointment strengthens our wet and dry shipping litigation capability, and his ability to advise on matters arising at the intersection of shipping and international trade will complement our marketing-leading commodities practice in Singapore.

“Peter is the third partner we have added in Singapore since the beginning of FY26. We remain focused on attracting leading partners and teams as we continue to expand and enhance our client offering in Singapore.”

He regularly advises shipowners, charterers, commodity, energy and trading companies, banks and insurers on complex cross-border litigation and arbitration. 

This includes advising on shipping and admiralty matters, international trade and commodities disputes, marine insurance, enforcement of guarantees, civil fraud, and competition and commercial law. He also advises on legal risk management, commercial charterparties and commodities contracts, regulatory compliance, and insurance.

Glover also brings significant experience in high‑profile casualties and crisis situations, advising on the civil, regulatory and criminal aspects of accident response and emergency response management.

He is admitted to practise in England and Wales, Hong Kong and Queensland, Australia.

Peter Glover, Partner, HFW, said: “HFW’s market‑leading capabilities in shipping, trade and crisis management align closely with my practice. Returning to the firm as a partner in Singapore offers an excellent platform to support clients navigating an increasingly complex maritime and regulatory landscape, while leveraging HFW’s global strength across shipping, arbitration, energy and disputes to grow and broaden my practice.”

Photo credit: HFW
Published: 4 August, 2026

MITSUI E&S on Monday (3 August) announced that Mitsui E&S DU, a group company of MITSUI E&S, has successfully completed the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the DU-WinGD 6X82DF-M-1.0 LP-SCR, the first methanol dual-fuel WinGD large marine engine built in Japan.

The engine is also the first WinGD large marine engine manufactured at MITSUI E&S Tamano Works.

“The engine is scheduled to be installed on the first vessel in a series of four vessels being built for a domestic shipowner,” the company said on its website. 

By utilising green methanol as fuel, it will contribute to a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping operations.

“To meet the expected increase in marine engine demand under the Japanese government’s Shipbuilding Industry Revitalisation Roadmap, the MITSUI E&S Group is working to enhance production efficiency for large marine engines through integrated operation at MITSUI E&S Tamano and Mitsui E&S DU Aioi,” the company added.

Photo credit: MITSUI E&S
Published: 4 August, 2026

Quadrise, a low emissions fuels and biofuel developer, recently announced an amendment to the Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Australian-based Licella Holdings (Licella).

Licella is a global technology pioneer delivering scalable, low-cost and high-value fossil replacement solutions. Its proprietary Cat-HTR™ hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL” technology efficiently converts abundant biomass residues and biowastes, including wood and agricultural waste, into high-quality, sustainable bio-oil that can be blended or refined into low-carbon liquid fuels.

“HTL is globally recognised as one of the most promising pathways for producing sustainable fuels for hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, with organisations highlighting its potential to deliver low-carbon bio-oils at the scale the maritime sector requires,” Quadrise said. 

Under the JDA entered into on 26 March 2025, Quadrise and Licella have been collaborating and seeking, inter alia, to progress the use of Licella’s bio-oil produced by HTL technology as a potential cost-effective feedstock for the Company’s  bioMSAR™ and bioMSAR Zero™ fuels.  

Under the JDA, pursuant to which lab testing has been undertaken in Australia and the UK, the parties have jointly developed a deeper understanding of the technological advancements needed to supply sustainable HTL-derived bio-oils to the maritime sector.

As a result, and prior to diesel engine testing, the Amended JDA now sets out a non-binding but more specific development focus, with an updated time schedule for the joint testing of the parties’ respective fuel technologies, with Licella providing the scalable HTL bio-oil production expertise and Quadrise providing maritime market access and fuel experience.  

Upon successful completion of final lab tests on refined Licella HTL bio-oils in H2 2026, initial marine fuel diesel engine pilot tests are planned by the parties, after which Quadrise and Licella will seek to undertake the larger scale, third-party engine testing required to move to commercial vessel tests.

Photo credit: Scott Graham
Published: 4 August, 2026