香港国际仲裁中心的紧急仲裁员程序
Introduction
导读
After a party initiates an arbitration, it may take several weeks for the parties or the arbitral institution to constitute the arbitral tribunal. During this period, the parties may have no or limited prospects of obtaining interim relief to, for example, preserve assets or maintain the status quo.This is particularly true in jurisdictions where the legal system does not recognize interim relief in support of arbitration.
一方当事人提起仲裁后，各方当事人或仲裁机构一般需要数周时间才能组成仲裁庭。在仲裁庭组庭前，当事人获得临时救济（例如财产保全或要求维持原状）的可能性较为有限，有时甚至渺茫。在一些法院不授予仲裁临时救济的司法辖区，这一问题尤为突出。
What is HKIAC’s Emergency Arbitrator Procedure?
香港国际仲裁中心的紧急仲裁员程序是什么？
Introduced in the 2013 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules (the “2013 Rules”), HKIAC’s Emergency Arbitrator Procedure is a mechanism which enables parties to an arbitration to seek interim relief in an emergency situation prior to the constitution of the arbitral tribunal.
2013年《香港国际仲裁中心机构仲裁规则》（下称“2013年《规则》”）首次引入了紧急仲裁员程序，该程序旨在协助当事人在仲裁庭组庭前的紧急情况下寻求临时或保护性的救济。
In order to enhance the benefits of the Emergency Arbitration Procedure to parties who require interim relief, HKIAC refined the Emergency Arbitrator Procedure in the 2018 Administered Arbitration Rules (the “2018 Rules”).
香港国际仲裁中心又进一步在2018年《香港国际仲裁中心机构仲裁规则》（下称“2018年《规则》”）中修订了紧急仲裁员程序，使其对寻求紧急救济的当事人更具吸引力。
It is important to note that HKIAC’s Emergency Arbitrator Procedure is an avenue the parties may seek to pursue in addition to seeking relief from the courts. In other words, agreeing to arbitration administered by HKIAC does not mean the parties have agreed not to seek interim relief from the courts.
需注意的是，当事人可选择申请香港国际仲裁中心的紧急仲裁员程序，亦可选择向法院申请临时救济。换句话说，当事人约定仲裁由香港国际仲裁中心管理，并不代表当事人同意不向法院寻求临时救济。
Process under the 2013 Rules
2013年《规则》的程序
Under the 2013 Rules, a party may file an application for the appointment of an Emergency Arbitrator any time after filing the Notice of Arbitration provided that the arbitral tribunal has not yet been constituted. A party may also file an application for the appointment of an Emergency Arbitrator together with its Notice of Arbitration.
根据2013年《规则》的规定，若仲裁庭尚未组成，一方当事人可在提交仲裁通知的同时或之后申请指定紧急仲裁员。
If HKIAC accepts the case, it will strive to appoint an Emergency Arbitrator within 48 hours of having received the Application and the Application Deposit (i.e., HK$250,000). The Emergency Arbitrator will then generally have 15 days to render his or her decision.
若香港国际仲裁中心决定接受申请，其应设法在收到该等申请和申请预付款(即250,000港币)之后的48小时内指定一名紧急仲裁员。紧急仲裁员一般应在15日内对紧急救济申请作出决定。
Under the 2013 Rules, the Emergency Arbitrator will be paid on the basis of an hourly rate. The Emergency Arbitrator’s hourly rate may not exceed a cap set by HKIAC but there is no cap in respect of the Emergency Arbitrator’s total fees. At the time of writing, the maximum hourly rate set by HKIAC is HK$6,500.
在2013年《规则》下，紧急仲裁员依小时费率收费，香港国际仲裁中心对紧急仲裁员可收取的小时费率设定了上限，但未对紧急仲裁员可收取的总费用设定任何上限。本文写作之时，该等小时费率的上限为6,500港币。
Process under the 2018 Rules
2018年《规则》的程序
Under the 2018 Rules, the time limits have all been shortened. HKIAC will strive to appoint an Emergency Arbitrator within 24 hours of receiving the Application and the Application Deposit, and the Emergency Arbitrator will generally have only 14 days to render his or her decision.
根据2018年《规则》的规定，上文所提的时限均被缩短。香港国际仲裁中心应设法在收到申请和申请预付款后的24小时内指定一名紧急仲裁员，而紧急仲裁员仅有14天的时间作出决定。
HKIAC has also introduced a maximum cap for the Emergency Arbitrator’s total fees in its new rules. Under the 2018 Rules, the total fees of anemergency arbitrator are subject to a maximum amount unless the parties agree or HKIAC determines otherwise in exceptional circumstance. Currently, the maximum amount set by HKIAC is HK$200,000. The cap in respect of the Emergency Arbitrator’s hourly rate also remains in place.
香港国际仲裁中心还在其新规则中对紧急仲裁员可收取的总费用设定了上限。在2018年《规则》下，除非各方同意或香港国际仲裁中心在特殊情况下另作决定，紧急仲裁员可收取的总费用上限目前为200,000港币。同时，上文所提及的紧急仲裁员小时费率的上限仍然适用。
Finally, under the 2018 Rules, a party may also submit its application for the appointment of an emergency arbitrator before the commencementof an arbitration, provided that a (i) the contract is entered into after 1 November 2018 and (ii) Notice of Arbitration is submitted to HKIAC within seven days, unless the parties agree otherwise.
最后，在2018年《规则》下，只要满足下述两个条件，一方当事人可在提起仲裁之前提交指定紧急仲裁员的申请：（1）案涉合同在2018年11月1日之后签订；及（2）仲裁通知应在申请作出后的七天内提交，除非各方另作约定。
Enforceability of Emergency Decision
紧急决定的可执行性
Hong Kong’s Arbitration Ordinance (Cap. 609) expressly provides that an emergency arbitrator’s decision, whether granted inside or outside Hong Kong, is enforceable in the same manner as an order or direction of the Hong Kongcourts.
《香港仲裁条例》（第609章）明确规定，紧急仲裁员作出的紧急决定，无论是在香港或香港以外的地方作出，应如香港法院作出的命令或指示般，以同样的方式强制执行。
Relationship between the Emergency Arbitratorand the Arbitral Tribunal
紧急仲裁员和仲裁庭的关系
The Emergency Arbitrator will remain in place until the arbitral tribunal is constituted but will not be a member of the Arbitral Tibunal, unless the parties agree otherwise.
除非当事人同意，紧急仲裁员不得再在案件中继续担任仲裁员。
The Arbitral Tribunal is not bound by the decision of the Emergency Arbitrator. Moreover, the Emergency Arbitrator’s decision will generally cease to be binding if the tribunal is not constituted within ninety days from the date of the emergency decision.
仲裁庭不受紧急仲裁员决定的约束。此外，若仲裁庭未在紧急决定作出之日起九十天内组成，则紧急仲裁员的决定一般将失去约束力。
Conclusion
结论
HKIAC’s Emergency Arbitrator Procedure is a useful tool when a party is seeking interim relief but cannot look to the courts for interim relief.
香港国际仲裁中心的紧急仲裁员程序是当事人欲寻求紧急救济但又难以在法院得到该等救济时一个强有力的工具。
Since 2013, HKIAC has handled 12 Emergency Arbitrator Procedure applications. According to the statistic report published on HKIAC website (http://www.hkiac.org/content/costs-duration), the median duration for the Emergency Arbitration is 14 days and the median cost of Emergency Arbitration is approximately US$ 43,717.
自2013年以来，香港国际仲裁中心已处理了12起紧急仲裁员程序的申请。据香港国际仲裁中心网站公布的数据报告显示(http://www.hkiac.org/zh-hans/content/costs-duration)，紧急仲裁时长的中间值为14天，紧急仲裁费用的中间值为43,717美元。
Author: Michelle Shi and Othmane Benlafkih (Deputy Counsels of HKIAC) /
8 November 2018
作者: 石佳筠及Othmane Benlafkih (香港国际仲裁中心副法律顾问) /
2018年11 月8日