Society of Maritime Arbitrators, Inc.

Publications

The SMA publishes THE ARBITRATOR, a quarterly newsletter which is regularly distributed, without charge, to readers worldwide. It contains announcements about recent developments in the field as well as summaries of interesting awards.

Click one of the following links to view the latest copy of THE ARBITRATOR

HTML Version - PDF Version (April, 2008).

Click below to view back issues:

HTML Version - PDF Version (January, 2008).
HTML Version - PDF Version(October, 2007).
HTML Version - PDF Version (July, 2007).
HTML Version - PDF Version (April, 2007).
HTML Version - PDF Version (January, 2007).
HTML Version - PDF Version (October, 2006).
HTML Version - PDF Version (July, 2006).

THE ARBITRATOR - OCTOBER 1999 THROUGH APRIL 2006

Most important, however, is the Award Service, which publishes the full text of arbitration awards by SMA members. The service is available through annual subscription. Subscribers include a wide spectrum of owners, charterers, P and I Clubs, law firms, university libraries, and brokers all over the world. Awards are published in New York as a matter of course unless, at any time before the issuance of the award, both parties request that the award not be published.

SMA awards are also included in the LEXIS research data bank and now number at over 3,900 awards. Such awards, dating back to the 1950's, contain the factual background of the disputes and the reasoning used by the Panel members to support their decisions. Such reasoning is of great value as it provides insight into the practices and customs of the trade. The awards may therefore serve as a guide, not only for the resolution of disputes, but also as a means of avoiding disputes when negotiating fixtures.

While New York arbitrators are not absolutely bound by arbitral precedents, in an effort to maintain consistency, panels do take prior awards into consideration. Subscribers also receive Indices and Digests summarizing and categorizing the awards.