London remains the top maritime arbitration center of the world handling 85 percent of cases last year, according to a report of law firm HRW.
HRW's "The Maritime Arbitration Universe in Numbers" report said the United Kingdom capital handled a total 1,907 arbitration cases in 2022, 12 percent more than in 2021.

"The maritime/transport sector continued to dominate London arbitration institutions' caseloads in 2022, with 37 percent of the London Court of International Arbitration's 2022 referrals falling within the transport and commodities industry sector (an increase from 14 percent in 2021)," the report said.

"London has long held a reputation as a trusted and neutral forum for international arbitration cases, and with a history of maritime expertise, it is clear that it remains the favored jurisdiction for maritime arbitration," HRW partner Mark Ritter said, according to Cyprus Shipping News.

Other popular maritime arbitration centers are Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris.

London has long held a reputation as a trusted and neutral forum for international arbitration cases, and with a history of maritime expertise, it is clear that it remains the favored jurisdiction for maritime arbitration.

Last year, Singapore took up 96 cases or 5 percent of the UK's workload, according to the HRW report. The figure represents a slight increase from the 92 new international maritime arbitrations handled by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration and International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in 2021.

The HRW report ranks Hong Kong at third with its Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre administering 32 new international maritime arbitrations in 2022, one more case than in 2021.

Paris arbitral institutions, the ICC and the Chambre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris, hosted approximately 36 maritime arbitrations or 2 percent of the UK caseloads in 2022, one less than in 2021.

The HRW anticipates that London will remain firmly at the center of global maritime dispute resolution.

"London's solid reputation as a trustworthy and neutral forum for international arbitration, together with its renowned history of maritime expertise, hundreds of years of English case law precedent, and as headquarters to numerous international shipping, trade and insurance associations, including the International Maritime Organization, International Chamber of Shipping, Lloyds of London and the Baltic Exchange," the report said.