Offshore Construction
HFW is one of the leading law firms in the world for offshore construction.
HFW’s construction expertise, combined with our standing as one the best-known shipping law firms in the world, has helped us gain a reputation as a leading firm advising on offshore construction projects.
Our international construction team has been involved in some of the largest and most complex offshore projects ever constructed. These cover a wide range of projects including oil and gas, port developments, subsea cabling, offshore wind and FPSOs.
We advise on contract procurement and negotiation, as well as acting on large international arbitrations and major court cases. In addition to the conventional oil & gas projects, we also actively advise in the renewable energy sector, including acting on some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world.
Our work in the offshore construction sector includes:
- Oil and gas. Our work in this sector includes disputes arising out of delay and disruption to oil and gas developments (including the decommissioning of platforms) and advising on contracts for the construction of oil and gas facilities.
- FPSOs. Our experience includes not only advising on, drafting and negotiating complex FPSO contracts up to US$1.3bn in cost, but also on disputes arising out of the late construction and delivery of FPSOs.
- Subsea cables. We have significant experience of advising on, drafting and negotiating subsea cable contracts, including for major interconnector cable projects. Our experience means we have developed valuable insights into the risks involved with the subsea cable projects and how best to manage those risks in the contracts.
- Port development. As one of the world’s leading shipping firms HFW acts for many port operators. We have one of the largest teams specialising in the development and operation of national and international ports and terminals.
- Onshore interface. The breadth of our offshore wind and subsea cable experience means that we also fully understand the interface between the offshore work and onshore operations.
- Decommissioning. Our global shipping, energy and construction expertise puts HFW at the forefront in terms of experience of drafting decommissioning contracts and managing disputes arising out of decommissioning work.
- Offshore wind farms. To date, we have been instructed on 70% of the UK's offshore wind farms. As well as our London team, we also have offshore wind specialists in our Paris and Brussels offices and have worked on projects in French, Belgium and German waters. Our offshore wind work has also extended to offshore wind beyond Europe, in particular, Taiwan and USA. For further details about our offshore wind practice, please see: https://www.hfw.com/offshore-wind.
We are highly regarded by the independent directories that periodically review the legal market who comment: “The HFW team are true experts in this area and their depth of knowledge is readily apparent." (Legal 500 2022) and "..their lawyers combine legal skills, proactiveness and the ability to take a practical approach, which is very valuable." (Chambers 2022)
Our construction team is ranked in band 2 of the UK 2022 Legal 500. We are also ranked in Legal 500 specifically for our renewables sector work:
“The HFW team is strong in the area of maritime and offshore projects. It has a well versed and experienced team which provides insightful, well-reasoned and instructive legal services in these areas.” (Legal 500, 2022)
“They have an enviable track record relating to offshore renewable projects and have been shown to have provided good advice on particularly complex matters.” (Legal 500, 2022)
