On 7 July 1993, some parties entered into a contract for the lease of a ship by a shipping company to a commercial company. The contract was signed in Limassol, Cyprus and its Article 39 provided for the settlement of disputes by arbitration in London and for the application of English law. The shipping company initiated arbitration, claiming that the ship had suffered damages. After an award was rendered on 12 January 1995, commercial company filed a lawsuit before the Cairo Court of Appeal, requesting the suspension of the enforcement of the award and its setting aside. The shipping company maintained that the Egyptian Arbitration Law did not apply to the dispute which was governed by the New York Convention and objected to the jurisdiction of the Cairo Court of Appeal.