AROUND 86 per cent of senior international oil and gas executives and lawyers expect cancelled contracts to be the main cause of disputes this year, a survey shows.

Global law firm Clyde & Co, publishing the research, said attitudes to litigation and arbitration in the oil and gas industry had changed significantly over the past 12 to 18 months.

It observed there was “significantly more contentious correspondence” between parties, some of which ultimately led to the commencement of legal proceedings.