International Trade (Commodities, Natural Resources, Oil & Gas)
Overview
Twenty-Eight Chambers LLC advises on international trade matters arising from the movement, sale, financing and delivery of commodities, natural resources, and energy products. Our practice spans both advisory and dispute resolution mandates where commercial, logistical, regulatory and contractual issues intersect across borders.
Scope of Trade & Commodities Practice
We act for trading houses, producers, processors, exporters, importers, financial institutions, and multinational corporations in matters involving:
Sale and purchase agreements for commodities, energy products and bulk materials
Supply chain, storage, logistics and delivery disputes
Quality, quantity, pricing and payment claims
Off-take arrangements, performance bonds and standby letters of credit
Counterparty insolvency and cross-border enforcement challenges
Regulatory, sanctions and compliance consideration
Trade Disputes, Arbitration & Enforcement
Our disputes experience covers contractual and enforcement issues that frequently arise in international trade, including claims under SIAC, ICC, and other institutional arbitration rules, as well as litigation in Singapore and other jurisdictions.
We advise on choice of law, enforceability of trading terms, parallel proceedings strategy, and enforcement across multiple legal systems where commodity flows, payment structures and delivery chains span jurisdictions.
International trade disputes often intersect with shipping, insurance, infrastructure and energy markets. We work closely with counsel across jurisdictions to coordinate cohesive strategies that address risk allocation, dispute resolution pathways, and commercial continuity.
Transactional Trade & Trade Finance Advisory
We advise on the structuring and execution of cross-border trade transactions, including the drafting and negotiation of:
Commodity and sale of goods contracts
Gas and oil sale agreements
Charterparties, bills of lading and multimodal carriage arrangements
Our focus is on clear risk allocation, enforceability, and operational resilience across jurisdictions.
We design payment architectures for high-value trade deals, including confirmed letters of credit, standby guarantees, escrow and staged release mechanisms, to secure milestone payments and minimise counterparty exposure.
Our trade finance practice works closely with banks, insurers and commodity traders to align documentary credits, performance bonds and insurance placements with contractual obligations, ensuring cashflow certainty for sellers, buyers and logistics providers.
Regulatory, Sanctions & Trade Remedies
Regulatory compliance is central to international trade. We advise on:
Export controls and sanctions regimes
Customs classification and valuation
Preferential origin rules and trade agreements
- Import and export licensing
We assist clients in invoking and responding to trade remedies, including anti-dumping investigations and related proceedings. Our experience includes acting for a Vietnamese subsidiary of a Chinese multinational company in an anti-dumping investigation commenced by the Trade Interests and Remedies Division, Department of Foreign Trade, Thailand, involving cross-border trade-remedy issues.
Energy & Resources Trade Support
For energy and resources projects, we advise on procurement arrangements, equipment sale and lease, storage and terminal agreements, and the interface between commercial contracts and environmental and safety regulatory regimes.
Operational Support & Crisis Response
When operational issues arise, we provide rapid and commercially focused support, including:
Pre-shipment clearance and documentation review
Cargo inspection and survey coordination
Claims mitigation and recovery strategies with insurers and P&I clubs
Our dispute-ready drafting, escalation clauses and ADR / arbitration provisions are designed to preserve commercial relationships while ensuring enforceable remedies where necessary.
Our Approach
Clients choose Twenty-Eight Chambers for its sector fluency, cross-border capability and process-first approach that structures legal risk, dispute pathways, and enforcement strategies from the outset. We translate trade flows into legally robust and operationally efficient structures, allowing clients to protect value, maintain continuity and manage risk across jurisdictions.
For further information on our international trade practice, please contact us at enquiry@28chambers.com.sg.
Publications
“Trade Remedies: Overview (Singapore)” and a Comparison Chart titled “International Trade (Imports) – Trade Remedies” for the Commercial Global Practice Area of Thomson Reuters Practical Law (2024, 2023)
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