SHIPWORKS ENGINEERING PTE LTD v SEMBCORP MARINE INTEGRATED YARD PTE LTD

Q: Which legislation does [2024] SGHC 325 consider?

The judgment refers to Evidence Act (Cap 97), Unfair Contract Terms Act (Cap 396), and Unfair Contract Terms Act. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

[2024] SGHC 325 High Court (General Division) 20 December 2024 • HC/S 1040/2020 • 40 min read

5 cases cited (3 SG, 2 foreign) Cited by 3 cases

Catchwords

Contract — Breach Contract — Contractual discretions Contract — Illegality and public policy — Common law

Practice Areas

Contract

Judges (1)

Choo Han Teck Delivered

Counsel (13)

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP Firm WongPartnership LLP Firm Devathas Satianathan Counsel Plaintiff Dikaios Pang Siran Counsel Defendant Harish Kumar Counsel Plaintiff Kiran Jessica Makwana Counsel Plaintiff Koh Swee Yen Counsel Defendant Lin Chunlong Counsel Defendant Magdalene Ong Li Min Counsel Defendant Marissa Zhao Yunan Counsel Plaintiff Reinvs Loh Zhi Wei Counsel Defendant Tian Keyun Counsel Defendant Yong Yi Xiang Counsel Plaintiff

Parties (4)

Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd Defendant Lanka Marine Services Pte Ltd Plaintiff Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd Defendant Shipworks Engineering Pte Ltd Plaintiff

Case Significance

Shipworks Engineering Pte Ltd and another v Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd and another and other suits [2024] SGHC 325 is a reserved judgment of the General Division of the High Court (Suit No 1040 of 2020, consolidated with HC/Suits Nos 1042, 1051 and 1052 of 2020) delivered by Choo Han Teck J on 20 December 2024, following hearings across August, September and November 2024. The plaintiffs, Shipworks Engineering Pte Ltd and Lanka Marine Services Pte Ltd, claimed $26,048,727.76 under 203 unpaid invoices for works and services rendered, including the provision of manpower, and a further $541,152.19 on quantum meruit for 12 completed works for which invoices had not been rendered because the defendants refused to sign the supporting documents, for a total claim of $26,589,879.95. The defendants, Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd and Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd, disputed the claims, averring they never received the plaintiffs' set of supporting documents.

[2024] SGHC 325 explained

SHIPWORKS ENGINEERING PTE LTD v SEMBCORP MARINE INTEGRATED YARD PTE LTD ([2024] SGHC 325) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 20 December 2024. It is categorised under Contract. Within this corpus it has since been cited by 3 other reported Singapore judgments, a measure of how often later decisions have referred to it. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2024] SGHC 325 about?

SHIPWORKS ENGINEERING PTE LTD v SEMBCORP MARINE INTEGRATED YARD PTE LTD ([2024] SGHC 325) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2024. Its published catchwords are “Contract — Breach”, “Contract — Contractual discretions”, and “Contract — Illegality and public policy — Common law”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2024] SGHC 325 consider?

The judgment refers to Evidence Act (Cap 97), Unfair Contract Terms Act (Cap 396), and Unfair Contract Terms Act. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

How influential is [2024] SGHC 325?

Within this corpus, [2024] SGHC 325 has been cited by 3 later reported Singapore judgments. That count reflects references from other decisions held in this corpus only and is a conservative lower bound on how often the case has actually been cited.

Summary

In these consolidated suits Shipworks Engineering Pte Ltd and Lanka Marine Services Pte Ltd claimed about $26.59m from Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd and Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd for unpaid invoices and works for manpower and related services, while the defendants disputed the claim, alleged irregularities in the supporting documents, and counterclaimed about $20.82m for payments and administrative charges. The dispute raised issues of breach of contract, contractual discretions, and illegality and public policy at common law. The court allowed the claims and counterclaim in part, directing the parties to jointly calculate the quantum of damages owed based on the parameters in the judgment and to provide a joint figure within four weeks, with costs to be determined after further submissions.

What was claimed in Shipworks Engineering v Sembcorp Marine [2024] SGHC 325?

The plaintiffs Shipworks Engineering Pte Ltd and Lanka Marine Services Pte Ltd claimed a total of $26,589,879.95 from Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd and Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd, comprising $26,048,727.76 under 203 unpaid invoices and $541,152.19 on quantum meruit, in a judgment by Choo Han Teck J dated 20 December 2024.

What were the disputed issues in [2024] SGHC 325?

The consolidated suits decided by Choo Han Teck J concerned contract breach, contractual discretions, and illegality and public policy at common law, with the defendants disputing the claims on the basis that they never received the plaintiffs' set of documents supporting the works and services alleged.