Shipping

From cargo claims to marine insurance, piracy to superyacht ownership, our 50-strong team of specialist shipping lawyers fully understands the issues facing the international maritime community. We offer 24/7 access to multi-jurisdictional expertise, multi-lingual lawyers and local support across the key trading hubs of London, Paris, Madrid, Piraeus, Singapore and Sao Paulo.

With almost two centuries’ experience of assisting clients on a wide range of claims associated with operating ships and superyachts, our shipping law practice has a proven reputation for the quality of its advice. We are regularly instructed on maritime casualties, cargo claims, major losses, marine insurance matters and high-profile commercial disputes arising from shipping contracts. Other areas of expertise include pollution and marine personal injury.

Our shipping lawyers act for clients across the global maritime sector including ship and superyacht owners, P&I Clubs, banks, shipyards, port operators, insurance underwriters and brokers to provide a comprehensive marine legal service. We work closely with well-established networks of loss adjusters, surveyors and investigators on the ground, to offer a dedicated, round-the-clock emergency response team tasked with dealing with clients’ legal and practical needs from the immediate aftermath of any incident through to its resolution.

In tandem with the rapid growth of the superyacht market over the last decade, we have developed a specialist yacht team to offer advice and practical guidance on all aspects of yacht and superyacht ownership including sale and purchase, finance, dispute resolution, insurance and management and represent owners, managers, insurers, yacht brokers, yards and marinas. The team also has extensive practical sailing and sea-going experience on board superyachts, grand-prix racing yachts and private pleasure crafts giving us an in-depth understanding of the industry and its challenges for both corporate and private owners. 

Through our involvement with shipping and insurance industry associations as well as maritime regulators throughout the world, our shipping lawyers not only keep abreast of the latest trends and issues affecting the sector but regularly share this knowledge to a wide range of industry bodies. The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Turkey, the Superyacht Claims Adjusters Association, the DNV GL’s Maritime Academy, the Maritime LSLC Business Forum and the LBIA/CIA Cyber Insurance Forum are just a few of the organisations at which our lawyers have recently lectured and presented.