Nhu-Hoang Tran Thang Speaks on Commodity Arbitration – ASA Below 40 Spring Seminar 2025
- Astute Dispute Resolution
- Jun 20
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 20
On 13 June 2025, Nhu-Hoang Tran Thang, founder of Astute Dispute Resolution, participated in the ASA Below 40 Spring Seminar held at the Hôtel Métropole in Geneva.
This year’s edition of the popular annual event delved into three cornerstone industries of the Swiss economy: commodity trading, life sciences, and technology.
Nhu-Hoang joined the opening panel dedicated to commodity trading — an industry deeply embedded in Geneva’s business fabric — to discuss arbitration across the commodities supply chain, including operational and shipping disputes. She spoke alongside Juliette Currat (Schellenberg Wittmer), Karol Bucki (MSC), and Duncan Gorst (Osborne Clarke).
The panel addressed the multifaceted nature of disputes in commodity trading and maritime transport, focusing on:
Fragmented supply chains and cascading contracts, which give rise to varied types of disputes resolved through different mechanisms — from interim court relief to business-centric arbitrations under GAFTA or FOSFA rules, and more conventional commercial arbitrations centered on contract interpretation;
Risk allocation throughout the supply chain, and the need for both precise contract wdrafting and carefully structured insurance solutions in a sector heavily reliant on sea transport and its inherent risks;
The structural role of external disruptions and global volatility, which consistently shape business operations and drive disputes — from armed conflicts, sanctions, and payment restrictions to tariff regimes, resource nationalism, regulatory shifts, extreme weather, and labor unrest.
ASA Below 40 organizes two flagship seminars annually — in Geneva and Zurich — bringing together the young Swiss arbitration community to engage with current developments in Swiss and international arbitration.
Look out for upcoming editions here!
Astute Dispute Resolution thanks the ASA Below 40 co-chairs and organizing team for the invitation to contribute to such an engaging exchange — and to support the growth of the next generation of arbitration leaders.
