War and Insurance
This event is co-organized with the Centre for Private Law of The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law
War and Insurance
5 September 2025 (Friday), 6:00 – 7:00 PM
Academic Conference Room, 11/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower
The University of Hong Kong
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War causes devastating effects not only to the parties directly involved but also to those seeking to remain neutral. One such consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was the loss of leased aircraft that were not returned by Russian airlines. In Aercap Ireland Ltd v AIG Europe Ltd [2025] EWHC 1430 (Comm), Butcher J held that liability for these losses lay with the war risks insurers, not the all risks insurers. His detailed judgment addressed several key issues in aviation insurance, including the scope of contingent and possessed cover, the definition of loss, the relevance of the ‘grip of the peril’ doctrine, and whether deprivation of possession alone constitutes a loss. The judgment also examined the meaning of restraint and detention, the proximate cause of the loss—whether it was a commercial decision by the airlines or an act of the Russian government—and the impact of US and EU sanctions on the insurers’ liability. Professor Gurses will provide an overview of these critical issues in insurance and marine insurance law in light of this decision.
About the Speaker
Özlem Gürses is a professor of commercial law at King’s College London, with a particular focus on insurance and reinsurance law. She serves as Chair of both the British Insurance Law Association Committee and the Reinsurance Working Party of the International Insurance Law Association. Professor Gürses is the author of several works in the field, including the widely used student textbook Marine Insurance Law (3rd ed., 2023, Routledge) and Reinsuring Clauses (2nd ed., 2025, Informa). Her scholarship also includes numerous articles and edited volumes on insurance law.
Moderator: Michael Tsimplis, Professor, City University of Hong Kong School of Law
Professor Michael Tsimplis joined the School of Law (CityUHK) in 2018. Before he worked for the University of Southampton and the UK Natural Environment Research Council. Mikis’s research covers maritime, commercial and environmental law, oceanography and environmental science. He has taught in academic and professional courses around the world. His published research can be found at https://scholars.cityu.edu.hk/en/persons/mtsimpli.
We are applying for a CPD point with the Law Society of Hong Kong.
For inquiries, please contact Ms. Grace Chan at privlaw@hku.hk / 3917 4727.