Arbitrator with combined commercial, legal, and technical experience

Prokopios gained early onboard experience, initially as a member of a cleaning gang and later attending complex casualty cases and ship operations. His first major matter involved a grounding followed by a collision during an STS refloating operation, resulting in extensive repairs and multi-million-dollar claims, including unsafe port, H&M, and P&I. This early exposure shaped his professional focus on ship operations, maritime arbitration, and dispute resolution.

​

Prokopios then pursued advanced qualifications in Maritime Studies (MSc), Maritime Law (LLM with distinction), Contract and Tort Law (postgraduate with distinction), and Maritime Arbitration (DipCIArb UK). He also holds several accredited certifications in laytime, ship operations, marine paints, legal writing/ contract drafting, English legal system, arbitrator's skills development and award writing, and alternative dispute resolution, reflecting his sustained focus on maritime law, arbitration, and technical shipping matters.

​

With over 15 years of commercial experience across the dry, wet, and oil-trading sectors, he has held progressively senior roles in chartering, operations, claims, and legal departments, including Legal Director. He has extensive experience in drafting charterparty clauses and managing disputes arising from time and voyage charters, including back-to-back contract chains. His practice covers laytime and demurrage, speed and performance claims, unsafe ports, high-risk area expenses, cargo and stevedore claims, bunkers, deviation and off-hire issues, unpaid hire and lien disputes, among others.

​

In addition to his legal and commercial expertise, he has substantial practical exposure to vessel operations and onboard matters, including structural damage incidents (collisions, groundings, machinery failures), cargo operations, and survey attendance. He has also spent time attending vessels internationally, including extended operational involvement in West Africa.

​

Prokopios has participated in more than 60 arbitration proceedings involving charterparties,  MoA, CoA, and Bills of Lading. He has acted as arbitrator (sole and tribunal member), expert, and consultant, with particularly active arbitral engagement in recent years.

​​