WINSON OIL TRADING PTE. LTD. v UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LIMITED

[2025] SGCA 42 Court of Appeal 5 September 2025 CA/CA 70/2024 · CA/CA 69/2024 46 min read
6 cases cited (3 SG, 3 foreign)

Key facts

Court Court of Appeal
Decided
Judges Ang Cheng Hock, Steven Chong, Sundaresh Menon
Charges / claim Contract, Damages, Admiralty and Shipping
Counsel Allen & Gledhill LLP, Focus Law Asia LLC, Helmsman LLC, Kenneth Tan Partnership, LVM Law Chambers LLC, Oon & Bazul LLP, Bazul Ashhab bin Abdul Kader, C Sivah, Chen Zhida, Christine Chiam, KarLuis Quek, Khoo Ching Shin Shem, Liang Junhong Daniel, Lok Vi Ming, Low Yan Feng, Lua Jing Ing Priscilla, Mohammad Haireez bin Mohameed Jufferie, Prakaash s/o Paniar Silvam, Song Swee Lian Corina Mrs Corina Song Jeremiah, Tan Wee Kheng Kenneth Michael, Tan Yu Hang, Teo Jia Hui Veronica, Teo Ke-Wei Ian, Thomas Benjamin Lawrence

Source: [2025] SGCA 42, Court of Appeal, decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Practice Areas

Judges (3)

Counsel (24)

Parties (3)

Case Significance

[2025] SGCA 42 is a Court of Appeal decision dated 5 September 2025 concerning Admiralty and Shipping, Contract, and Damages, specifically addressing remedies, measure of damages, and bills of lading. The judgment was delivered by Steven Chong, with Ang Cheng Hock and Sundaresh Menon on the coram. The case was brought by Owner of the vessel "MAERSK KATALIN" and others (appellant) against United Overseas Bank Limited (respondent). Legal representation was provided by Focus Law Asia LLC and Allen & Gledhill LLP. The judgment cites 6 cases (3 Singapore, 3 foreign) and references 1 statutory provision, namely the UK COGSA and the Bills of Lading Act.

[2025] SGCA 42 explained

WINSON OIL TRADING PTE. LTD. v UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LIMITED ([2025] SGCA 42) is a Singapore judgment decided by the Court of Appeal on 5 September 2025. It is categorised under Contract, Damages, and Admiralty and Shipping. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. 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 [2025] SGCA 42 about?

WINSON OIL TRADING PTE. LTD. v UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LIMITED ([2025] SGCA 42) is a Court of Appeal decision from 2025. Its published catchwords are “Contract — Remedies — Damages — Causation”, “Damages — Measure of damages — Contract — Damages for misdelivery of cargo”, and “Admiralty and Shipping — Bills of lading — Delivery of cargo against presentation of bills of lading”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2025] SGCA 42 consider?

The judgment refers to UK COGSA and the Bills of Lading Act (Cap 384). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

What earlier Singapore cases does [2025] SGCA 42 cite?

Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2024] SGHC 282. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.

Summary

United Overseas Bank, as indorsee of original bills of lading, sued Winson Oil Trading and vessel owner Maersk for misdelivery of a cargo of gasoil to Hin Leong Trading without presentation of the bills of lading. The central issues were Maersk's liability for breach of the contracts of carriage and the measure of damages, with the appellants arguing UOB knew the cargo had been discharged before issuing its letter of credit. The Court of Appeal upheld the finding of liability and damages of US$39,372,300, awarding costs of S$200,000 to UOB.

What was decided in [2025] SGCA 42?

[2025] SGCA 42 (WINSON OIL TRADING PTE. LTD. v UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LIMITED) is a Court of Appeal decision from 5 September 2025 addressing Admiralty and Shipping, Contract, and Damages, specifically remedies, measure of damages, and bills of lading. The judgment was delivered by Steven Chong.

Who were the parties in WINSON OIL TRADING PTE. LTD. v UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LIMITED ([2025] SGCA 42)?

The appellant in [2025] SGCA 42 was Owner of the vessel "MAERSK KATALIN", Winson Oil Trading Pte Ltd, and the respondent was United Overseas Bank Limited. Legal representation included Allen & Gledhill LLP and Focus Law Asia LLC. The case was decided on 5 September 2025 in the Court of Appeal.

Which judge decided [2025] SGCA 42?

[2025] SGCA 42 was delivered by Steven Chong in the Court of Appeal on 5 September 2025. Ang Cheng Hock and Sundaresh Menon also sat on the coram. The case concerned Admiralty and Shipping, Contract, and Damages.

What cases and statutes does [2025] SGCA 42 cite?

[2025] SGCA 42 cites 6 prior decisions, including 3 from foreign jurisdictions. It references UK COGSA and the Bills of Lading Act.

Statutes Cited

Cases Cited (6)

SLR (2)
[2003] 1 SLR(R) 295 [2025] 1 SLR 1146
UK (3)
[2005] EWHC 2350 [2010] EWHC 374 [2013] EWHC 3720

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

Referenced in

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2025] SGCA 42)