We are global leaders in dry shipping and transport work, having one of the world's largest practices in this area and a wealth of experience in the field, including:

• Charterparties

• Bills of lading and other carriage contracts

• Marine insurance

• Shipbuilding and construction contracts.

• Related disputes in all of the above areas.

Every case and transaction brings a different legal challenge and all require the experienced judgement which we bring to bear. We place great emphasis on understanding our clients' business needs and implementing their commercial objectives efficiently and cost effectively. We provide every client with a partner-led service and our aim is always to deliver first-class legal advice and solutions to our clients in a practical and concise manner which meets our clients' commercial objectives.

What we do Experience

• Advising in connection with US$300m of claims arising from a large explosion and fire following a suicide bombing of the Limburg off the coast of Yemen.

• Acting for the salvors of the BP production drilling quarters platform vessel which nearly capsized in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the most valuable property ever subject to the Lloyd's Open Form Contract (the standard form of salvage contract) being approximately US$1.2bn.

• "MSC NAPOLI" – acting for the hull and machinery insurers (as well as owners and P&I Club) and we are therefore involved in every aspect of the case. The case is particularly significant because it is the first GLO (group litigation order), the equivalent of a class action, in ship litigation in London, with over a thousand claimants against our clients. On behalf of our clients, we are defending the salvage claims, defending the cargo claims, dealing with pollution and wreck removal and liaising with several UK government agencies on all these issues.

• “GOLDEN LUCY” - a petroleum product carrier, which exploded in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in January 2008. Following the explosion, we were retained at the outset and advised the vessel's owners and their underwriters in relation to the salvage, towage and wreck liabilities and in relation to issues of hull, P&I and war risks cover.

• "APL SYDNEY" – we acted for the owners, managers, P&I and Hull & Machinery insurers, after the ship's anchor dragged and ruptured an ethane gas pipeline in the Port of Melbourne causing a loss estimated initially in excess at A$300m. Following the incident, the owners and operators of the gas pipeline, the end users of the gas and the Port of Melbourne Authority instituted proceedings against the ship owner claiming damages. This resulted in a recent important precedent law regarding limitation of liability.

• Acting for Jersey based closed shipping funds in connection with newbuilding projects for the construction of bunker tankers and IMO II type tankers to be constructed at two separate shipyards in China including negotiations on the shipbuilding contracts and provision of the refund guarantees, issuing the performance guarantees, option agreements and SAFE registration, etc.

• Assisting a Brazilian company in negotiations for new shipbuilding contracts for two container vessels and, when the indications from the shipyard were that these vessels would not in fact be built, provided detailed advice on that company's rights upon termination of the existing shipbuilding contracts and the procedure for termination that would best protect their position under these contracts.

What we do Experience

We are global leaders in dry shipping and transport work, having one of the world's largest practices in this area and a wealth of experience in the field, including:

• Charterparties

• Bills of lading and other carriage contracts

• Marine insurance

• Shipbuilding and construction contracts.

• Related disputes in all of the above areas.

Every case and transaction brings a different legal challenge and all require the experienced judgement which we bring to bear. We place great emphasis on understanding our clients' business needs and implementing their commercial objectives efficiently and cost effectively. We provide every client with a partner-led service and our aim is always to deliver first-class legal advice and solutions to our clients in a practical and concise manner which meets our clients' commercial objectives.