Shipping & Maritime

Maritime law is a specialised area of law with many unique facets, our highly skilled maritime lawyers provide top-level support to clients in this distinctive sector. 

Our lawyers advise clients from the smallest loss to the most complex, high-value claims and strongly recommend that from the onset of a transaction a meticulous legal review should be conducted to ensure that an avoidable dispute does not arise in the future.

Our maritime team of multi-jurisdictional, multi-lingual lawyers can provide the full spectrum of legal advice including transactional and dispute resolution services across the shipping industry. English law is applied to maritime disputes more than any other jurisdiction.

Our well-regarded lawyers advise across the entire spectrum of shipping law assisting:

• Vessel owners
• Charterers
• Insurers including protection and insurance (P&I) clubs
• Shipbuilders
• Marine financiers
• Port authorities
• cruise liners

Insurance

We advise on all aspects of hull and machinery insurance to cover damage to the ship, and protection and indemnity insurance for the wider unanticipated and often uncertain risks faced by ship owners. We also, regularly advise on drafting terms of insurance, the meaning of terms and scope of cover and potential claims and liabilities.

Contracts

Our lawyers provide a comprehensive service for sales and purchase contracts, generally based in the standard ‘Norwegian Saleform’, the most widely used and internationally recognised standard agreement for the sale and purchase of second-hand tonnage. However, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) has recently issued a new memorandum of agreement (MOA) SHIPSALE 22 for ship sales and purchase, independently from the Norwegian Shipbrokers Association (NSA). Over time it is possible that this new MOA may become standard.

We can advise on the contract terms between ship owners and charterers including bareboat charter; contracts of affreightment, including voyage and time.

Additionally, our lawyers frequently advise on charterparty disputes and the interpretation of charterparty terms, involving termination rights, unsafe ports, failure to pay freight or hire, ship personnel and duties, bills of lading, off-hire, ship inspection and delay.

Funding

Funding is a key issue in the maritime sector. Our lawyers can advise both lenders and borrowers on their rights and obligations in all forms of asset finance including special corporate structures for asset ownership, joint ventures, leasing transactions, syndicated loans, purchase/ sale contracts and mortgages. Additionally, we can also offer guidance and advice on re-mortgaging and debt restructuring.

Yacht and Super-yachts

Our specialist lawyers in the elite but limited yacht and super-yacht sector, can advise across sales and purchase contracts, newbuild, insurance as well as guidance on crews, yacht accidents and casualties claims and the negotiated resolution of disputes.

Accidents

Accidents have the capacity to impact across the marine sector, often escalating into a contentious legal issue due to casualty situations. Our specialist lawyers are fully aware of the precarious position that accidents place our clients and we are able to provide timely and effective legal advice and practical assistance in dealing with investigatory issues, witnesses and evidence taking.

Our maritime lawyers are experienced in advising ship owners, cargo owners, charterers, insurers and salvage companies on how best to protect their interests in such unpredictable circumstances.

Dispute Resolution

Should a dispute arise our lawyers always initially attempt to resolve using negotiation, from informal discussions, if unsuccessful, turning to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) such as mediation, arbitration and in the last resort litigation. Our lawyers can assist in developing cost-effective resolution of disputes. Also we can advise on starting a claim as well as defending a claim.

Our overall aim is to resolve disputes for our clients in a timely, practical and cost-effective manner. However where litigation is called for our lawyers are resolute and robust litigators.

For more information on any aspect of a legal issue involving maritime and shipping please click here