Dry Shipping

The shipping sector is highly dynamic, operating in a constantly shifting landscape shaped by geopolitical change, increasing regulatory burdens, and growing scrutiny of operations and safety standards. Against this backdrop, the industry faces overcapacity risks, commodity price volatility, rising regulatory and decarbonisation costs, accelerating digitalisation, counterparty risk in volatile markets, and high‑stakes contractual disputes. We can help you stay ahead of key market developments and safeguard your business against emerging threats and liabilities.

Operating in the industry for over 140 years, our shipping team is one of the largest in the world. For decades, we’ve been ranked at the top of leading independent legal directories, with our work spanning the world’s major shipping hubs, including London, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai, Athens, the United States and Australia.

Our dry shipping lawyers combine deep industry knowledge with extensive experience across both advisory work and disputes. We regularly advise on a full range of commercial arrangements that underpin dry shipping operations, while also handling complex disputes involving the rights and obligations of all parties across the shipping chain. Our work spans negotiating charterparties, long-term contracts of affreightment and vessel sharing arrangements, through to the resolution of high‑value disputes, including marine insurance, charterparty and bills of lading claims, shipbuilding matters, laytime and demurrage issues, and cargo claims.

We advise a broad range of stakeholders across the shipping industry, working closely with shipowners, charterers, insurers and Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs, shipyards, managers, brokers, financial institutions and public bodies. Our experience spans every major segment of the market, allowing us to support clients across tanker (chemical, oil, LPG, LNG), dry bulk, container markets, as well as offshore, cruise, yachting, and emerging technologies such as autonomous vessels.

Our shipping team operates across the world in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas, providing support wherever you need it. Every case and transaction brings a different legal challenge, all of which require up‑to‑date legal knowledge, experience, judgment and industry expertise to ensure your business is protected and positioned for growth.