Karnan Thirupathy
Karnan.Thirupathy@kennedyslaw.com
+65 6436 4301
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Profile
Karnan is a Partner in Kennedy’s Singapore office and is concurrently a director in its Singapore joint law venture firm Legal Solutions LLC. Qualified in England & Wales and in Singapore, he specialises in international arbitration and multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes in the commodities, shipping and insurance sectors. Having worked in Asia for over 20 years and being conversant in Malay, he has extensive practical experience handling matters involving jurisdictions across the region.
His clients include commodities traders, vessel owners / charterers, offshore energy contractors, P&I Clubs and insurers. He acts for and advises clients on a range of trade and shipping related matters including those involving commodity sale contracts, offtake agreements, contracts of affreightment, marine insurance, shipping / commodities related derivatives contracts and shipping and trade related fraud. He also assists clients in the shipping, trade and marine insurance sectors with trade sanctions compliance and related regulatory issues.
Karnan regularly represents clients in international arbitrations most often in London, Singapore and Hong Kong and also appears as Counsel in Singapore Court proceedings. He also accepts appointments as arbitrator.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and was appointed by the Singapore Academy of Law in January 2020 as a Senior Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law in recognition of his extensive expertise and experience in maritime and shipping law.
He has been consistently ranked as a leading individual by Chambers Global and clients describe him as someone who is noted for his "excellent understanding of the shipping industry and the complexities of doing business across the region". In Chambers Asia Pacific, Karnan is described by clients as being "very measured and a calm operator," offers "helpful, practical advice" and is "willing to go the extra mile". In addition, Legal 500 Asia Pacific has identified him as providing "clear and measured responses in difficult situations and under tight deadlines".
Karnan has also been recognised as one of the top legal practitioners in Singapore for Arbitration & Mediation Law and Insurance Law practitioners by Best Lawyers and is identified as a leading lawyer in the category of 'Transport - Shipping' by Who’s Who Legal.
Karnan contributed to the writing of Kennedys' 'Global forecast 2025: Negotiating the interconnection of evolving risks' report, published in February 2025.
Karnan has a very calm and grounded air about him. He delivers advice and analysis that reflects that - practical, sensible and clear. That translates to being someone very dependable and unflappable in a crisis.
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Qualifications and admissions
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Laws | National University of Singapore | 2001
- Masters of Law (Maritime Law) | University of Oslo
- Senior Accredited Specialist in Maritime and Shipping Law, Singapore Academy of Law | 2020
Admissions
- Singapore | 2002
- England & Wales | 2008
Industry
- Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitrators Panel Arbitrator
- Fellow of the Charted Institute of Arbitrators
- SIAC Reserve Panel of Arbitrators
Market recognition
- Notable practitioner (Band 3) for Shipping international: Litigation (Singapore)
Chambers Asia Pacific 2020-2025 - Leading professional for Transport – Shipping (Singapore)
Who’s Who Legal Transport 2022 - Recommended Lawyer for Shipping: Foreign Firms (Singapore)
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020-2021 - Global Leader for Transport – Shipping (Singapore)
Who’s Who Legal Transport 2021
- "Karnan has a very calm and grounded air about him. He delivers advice and analysis that reflects that - practical, sensible and clear. That translates to being someone very dependable and unflappable in a crisis."
Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 - Clients described Karnan as "a very approachable lawyer. He provides effective advice and guidance." "Karnan is calm, concise, listens carefully and gives sound advice."
Chambers Asia Pacific 2023 - "The Kennedys Legal Solutions team led by Karnan Thirupathy provide timely, commercially useful and clear advice. They are also very user friendly, and are proactive in proposing solutions that are creative and strategic in nature. They know commodities, shipping, arbitration and court work well."
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 - Karnan Thirupathy is "highly recommended" by clients and regularly assists with both wet and dry shipping matters, including ship detentions and cargo disputes. He is also notably active on arbitration matters.
Chambers Asia Pacific 2022 - He attracts praise from clients for being "user-friendly, commercially minded, reliable, patient and, most importantly, very technically sound."
Chambers Asia Pacific 2021 - "Karnan Thirupathy advises on a wide range of shipping disputes, including both wet and dry matters. One client reports: He is straightforward and able to come up with effective case strategies. He provides clear advice and is always calm and gives you the comfort that things are always under control."
Chambers Asia Pacific 2020
Work highlights
- Acted for a Singapore based energy company and its insurers in relation to claims in the Singapore courts for damage caused by a vessel to pipelines and which involved the establishment of a limitation fund under LLMC 1976.
- Acted for charterers in multiple arbitration and court proceedings in London, Singapore, Mauritius, Indonesia and the US in disputes arising from the loading of an Indonesian nickel ore cargo and the vessel’s 15 month detention in Indonesia following the implementation of a government restriction on the export of the cargo.
- Acted for New York listed shipowners in obtaining injunction orders against charterers to freeze over US$60 m in assets in Singapore in aid of London arbitration and Court proceedings.
- Acted for an international commodities trader in the defence of a series of claims brought in Hong Kong arbitrations by Chinese buyers under coal supply contracts as well as in pursuing related claims against an ex-employee in Indonesia who had fraudulently misappropriated the employers’ contracts and monies.
- Advised a leading producer and exporter of oleochemicals and biofuels on setting up its internal sanctions compliance procedures and in responding to investigations regarding specific transactions.
Shipping and international trade
Travel and tourism