Arbitral Digest

Matter

OWH SE iL v RTI Ltd & Anor (High Court (Commercial Court) [2026] EWHC 1015 (Comm))

Applicable rules
LCIA Rules
  1. 25 September 2024Arbitration

    25 September 2024Arbitration

    LCIA tribunal award on liability

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    The tribunal upheld the validity of OWH's Termination Notice and held RTI and Rusal liable to pay the close-out amount of approximately €214 million. It held that RTI was estopped by convention from denying valid service, could not rely on a Relevant Sanctions Event, and was contractually precluded from relying on Illegality because prompt contractual notice had not been given.

    Supporting details

    2 authorities · 6 participants
    OWH SE iL
    RTI Ltd
    Rusal
    London Court of International Arbitration
    Arbitrator
    Andrew Lenon KC

    Authorities cited

    2
    • Arbitration Act 1996
      statute
    • Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019
      statute

    1 month and 18 days later · 48 days

  2. 12 November 2024Arbitration

    12 November 2024Arbitration

    Correction to LCIA tribunal award on liability

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    The tribunal made a minor correction to the amount awarded on liability.

    Supporting details

    London Court of International Arbitration

    4 months and 20 days later · 140 days

  3. 1 April 2025Arbitration

    1 April 2025Arbitration

    LCIA tribunal procedural ruling dated 1 April 2025

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    The tribunal declined to admit the alleged textual error in the award and dismissed the application to stay or suspend the defendants' undertakings.

    Supporting details

    London Court of International Arbitration

    1 month and 1 day later · 31 days

  4. 2 May 2025Arbitration

    2 May 2025Arbitration

    LCIA tribunal procedural ruling dated 2 May 2025

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    The tribunal dismissed the application to defer its award on interest and costs pending determination of the section 68 challenge.

    Supporting details

    London Court of International Arbitration

    20 days later · 20 days

  5. 22 May 2025Jersey

    22 May 2025Jersey

    Judgment of the Royal Court of Jersey in [2025] JRC 138

    Royal Court of Jersey

    Decision summary
    The Royal Court rejected RTI's public-policy challenge to enforcement of the award in Jersey. It held that Article 46A of the Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019 was not retrospective, that no equivalent pre-existing public policy conferred immunity, and that RTI's genuine subjective belief that payment would breach Jersey sanctions was not objectively reasonable.

    Supporting details

    1 authority · 1 participant
    RTI Ltd
    Royal Court of Jersey

    Authorities cited

    1
    • Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019
      statute

    1 month and 18 days later · 49 days

  6. 10 July 2025England

    10 July 2025England

    Order of Robin Knowles J dated 10 July 2025

    High Court (Commercial Court)

    Decision summary
    The court gave OWH permission under section 66(1) of the Arbitration Act 1996 to enforce the LCIA award dated 25 September 2024 against RTI and Rusal.

    Supporting details

    1 authority · 4 participants
    OWH SE iL
    RTI Ltd
    Rusal
    High Court (Commercial Court)

    Authorities cited

    1
    • Arbitration Act 1996
      statute

    1 day later · 1 days

  7. 11 July 2025England

    11 July 2025England

    Judgment of Butcher J dated 11 July 2025

    High Court

    Decision summary
    The court dismissed the defendants' section 68 applications and refused an extension of time, holding that the application to the tribunal to admit an error was not an arbitral process of appeal or review and that the defendants had not shown a real prospect of proving fraud or procurement contrary to public policy. The defendants were ordered to pay costs on an indemnity basis.

    Supporting details

    1 authority · 1 participant
    High Court

    Authorities cited

    1
    • Arbitration Act 1996
      statute

    13 days later · 13 days

  8. 24 July 2025Arbitration

    24 July 2025Arbitration

    LCIA institutional decision on challenge to tribunal appointments

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    Professor Jan Paulsson dismissed the defendants' application under Article 10.1 of the LCIA Rules to revoke the appointments of the three tribunal members for alleged bias.

    Supporting details

    London Court of International Arbitration

    28 days later · 28 days

  9. 21 August 2025England

    21 August 2025England

    Alternative Service Order dated 21 August 2025

    High Court (Commercial Court)

    Decision summary
    The court authorised OWH to effect service by alternative methods.

    8 days later · 8 days

  10. 29 August 2025Arbitration

    29 August 2025Arbitration

    LCIA tribunal second and final award on interest and costs

    London Court of International Arbitration

    Decision summary
    The tribunal determined interest and ordered RTI and Rusal to pay approximately £200,000 in arbitration costs and approximately £3.6 million and €2 million in legal costs.

    Supporting details

    6 participants
    OWH SE iL
    RTI Ltd
    Rusal
    London Court of International Arbitration
    Arbitrator
    Andrew Lenon KC

    2 months and 29 days later · 90 days

  11. 27 November 2025Jersey

    27 November 2025Jersey

    Judgment of the Jersey Court of Appeal dated 27 November 2025

    Jersey Court of Appeal

    Decision summary
    The Court of Appeal dismissed RTI's appeal, agreeing that Article 46A was not retrospective and that there was no pre-existing Jersey public policy favouring immunity. It did not dissent from the first-instance findings on RTI's subjective belief and objective reasonableness; McCullough JA separately considered that the belief may have been reasonably held but expressed no concluded view because retrospectivity was decisive.

    Supporting details

    1 authority · 1 participant
    RTI Ltd
    Jersey Court of Appeal

    Authorities cited

    1
    • Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019
      statute
  12. Date not availableEngland

    Date not availableEngland

    Judgment of the High Court (Commercial Court) in the case [2026] EWHC 1015 (Comm)

    High Court (Commercial Court)

    Decision summary
    The court refused Rusal's application to adjourn its application to set aside permission to enforce the LCIA award and dismissed that set-aside application. It held that Rusal had no real prospect of successfully objecting to enforcement on English public-policy grounds, notwithstanding the sanctions-immunity arguments under Jersey law and the proposed BIT arbitration. The withdrawn application to set aside the alternative service order was left with costs to be determined with consequential matters.

    Supporting details

    19 authorities · 10 participants
    OWH SE iL
    Representative
    Richard Handyside KC (For: OWH SE iL)
    Representative
    Paul Casey (For: OWH SE iL)
    RTI Ltd
    Rusal
    Representative
    Fergus Randolph KC (For: Rusal)
    Representative
    Tim Taylor KC (For: Rusal)
    Representative
    Paul Wright (For: Rusal)
    Representative
    Kartik Sharma (For: Rusal)
    High Court (Commercial Court)

    Authorities cited

    19
    • Arbitration Act 1996
      statute
    • Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018
      statute
    • The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
      regulation
    • Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Jersey) Law 2019
      statute
    • Sanctions and Asset-Freezing (Implementation of External Sanctions) (Jersey) Order 2021
      regulation
    • European Union Regulations No. 208/2014 and No. 269/2014
      regulation
    • Bilateral Investment Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet Union dated 13 June 1989 (Bilateral Investment Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Soviet Union, 13 June 1989)
      treaty
    • Celestial Aviation Services Ltd v UniCredit Bank GmbH, London Branch ([2026] UKSC 10)
      case
    • R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor ([2017] UKSC 51; [2020] AC 869)
      case
    • Deutsche Schachtbau-und Tiefbohr GmbH v R'As al Khaimah National Oil Co ([1987] 3 WLR 1023)
      case
    • Eternity Sky Investments Ltd v Zhang ([2024] EWCA Civ 630)
      case
    • Johnson v Gore Wood ([2002] 2 AC 1)
      case
    • Reibel v JSC VO Stankoimport (Case C-802/24)
      case
    • Ryder Industries Ltd v Chan Shui Woo ((2015) 18 HKCFAR 544)
      case
    • Barros Mattos Jnr v MacDaniels Ltd ([2004] EWHC 1188; [2005] 1 WLR 247)
      case
    • Magdeev v Tsvetkov ([2020] EWHC 887 (Comm))
      case
    • Haddad v Rostamani ([2021] EWHC 1892 (Ch))
      case
    • Alexander Brothers Limited (Hong Kong S.A.R.) v Alstom Transport SA ([2020] EWHC 1584 (Comm))
      case
    • Playboy Club London Limited v Banca Nazionale De Lavoro Spa ([2018] EWCA Civ 2025)
      case

Matter record

Report a correction

OWH SE iL v RTI Ltd & Anor (High Court (Commercial Court) [2026] EWHC 1015 (Comm)) · Matter