Commercial shipping

Our team advises on a wide range of international shipping transactions, involving vessel and business acquisition, finance, and commercial cooperation arrangements.

We act for clients worldwide, including ship-owners, ship yards, operators, charterers, brokers, logistics companies, investors, lenders, trustees, liquidators and government agencies.

Our team of commercially minded experts are committed to understanding the objectives of the transaction and using our skills to achieve and protect our clients' interests. Transactions we act on include:

• drafting and negotiating new building contracts
• sale and purchase agreements
• vessel conversion contracts
• long term time, voyage and slot charters.

We also guide clients on operating and finance leases, commercial cooperation agreements such as joint ventures and pool agreements, ship management contracts and new building supervision agreements.

More generally, we advise on the acquisition of shipping businesses, incorporation and administration of offshore entities and UK agency companies, UK and EU competition issues and safety and security regulations.

When accessing funding, we provide advice on acquisition finance for ships including ship mortgages, security assignments and guarantees, as well as share purchase agreements for company acquisitions.

• Advising Punjab National Bank on recovery action relating to loan and overdraft facilities provided to two connected entities for the purpose of purchasing a Bahamian registered cruise liner and consolidating existing debt, supported by several linked (personal and corporate) guarantees.
• Advising Bank of India on pursuing recovery of US$27m relating to separate facilities provided by Bank of India to two Panamanian registered borrowers which were used to assist with the purchase of two ships.
• Advising a Dutch bank in relation to the delivery financing of three tanker newbuildings constructed at in China, financed under a multimillion dollar syndicated facility to a large industrial German and Norwegian ship-owning conglomerate.