In March 2026, the team at TSL Legal, together with counsels Professor Dr. Gurdial Singh Nijar and Abraham Au of G.S. Nijar & Associates, acted for the owners of the Oriental Dragon vessel in proceedings against Asia Capital Commodities Trade Sdn Bhd in Worldport v ACC.
The team had successfully obtained leave from the Federal Court to appeal on several novel and complex questions of law concerning admiralty jurisdiction in Malaysia in relation to a financial claim arising from alleged casino-related liabilities.
The appeal will consider, among others, the important issue of whether the invocation of the High Court’s admiralty jurisdiction under section 24(b) of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 requires:
- compliance with section 20 of the UK Senior Courts Act 1981 alone (as held by the Court of Appeal); or
- compliance with both sections 20 and 21 of the UK Senior Courts Act 1981, in light of conflicting admiralty authorities in various common law jurisdictions.
Leave to appeal to the Federal Court of Malaysia is granted only in limited circumstances, where the appeal involves questions of law that are novel or important to be decided for the public advantage, underscoring the significance of the legal questions involved.
The team at TSL consists of Chuck Siew Ka Wai and Tan Soo Yew (Co-Managing Partners) and Royce Bong (Senior Associate).
