Shipping & Maritime

The shipping industry is rapidly changing and facing evolving trade and environmental regulations, heightened competition and risks. Industry participants require an exceptional legal partner who understands the challenges at hand and actively seeks to understand and support your business needs.

Whatever you require help with either with financing, re-financing or restructuring your business, dealing with a marine casualty, navigating a cargo claim or charter problem, managing a shipbuilding dispute or other shipping related roadblock such as a sanctions violation or regulatory/competitive issue, Advocaat can help you find a swift solution. Our shipping lawyers advise ship owners and cargo owners, charterers, managers and insurers of bulk carriers, tankers, container ships, LNG/LPG carriers and specialized offshore vessels on:

• Bills of lading and other contracts of affreightment
• Time and voyage charter parties
• Cargo claims
• Marine insurance
• Casualties and general average incidents, arrests, regulatory matters and sanctions

They also advise on ship sale/purchase transactions, as well as the financing of vessels (both debt and sale and leaseback structures). We also offer preventive advisory on environmental law – an increasingly important issue in the shipping industry. An environmental disaster can not only be expensive, but can potentially damage a brand’s reputation.

There is also the big challenge in today’s shipping industry which is the changing nature and availability of ship financing. Our lawyers have significant experience working with both traditional and alternative financing structures and we provide assistance you in determining the best option and setting up the most beneficial financing structure. In the event also, of any shipping-related litigation and arbitration, our premier dispute resolution team is available to work it out.