Maritime Industry

Corporate, M&A, restructuring and insolvency

• Founding, consolidation and restructuring of international maritime enterprises
• Cross-border consultation for international private equity or hedge fund investors
• Consultation for start-ups and VC investors on joint venture and participation contracts
• Restructuring of shipyards and logistics companies
• Support in insolvency and protective shield proceedings
• International representation in court proceedings and extra-judicial disputes

S&P, financing & registration

• Consultation for investors, financial institutions, banks and shipping companies in all areas of maritime finance, from classical financing of single-ship companies to the financing of complete fleets or complex leasing models
• Planning and support in all areas, from the draft of the complete contract documentation for loan and security agreements to the detailed wording and implementation of purchase and sale contracts and the registration of ships and mortgages

Shipbuilding & suppliers

• Consultation for international shipyards, suppliers, system manufacturers, shipping companies and service providers
• Drafting and negotiation of shipbuilding, conversion and repair contracts
• Support in international cooperation and syndicate contracts
• Establishment and contractual optimisation of world-wide sale and service systems
• Ongoing in-project consultation from the contract award phase – including the formal tender process – to claim management
• Consultation in the enforcement or defence of warranty and product liability claims

Maritime and transport insurance

• Consultation on all insurance law questions related to maritime and transport insurance: Marine hull and machinery insurance, protection & indemnity, loss of hire / freight, construction risk, shipyard liability, inland hull and machinery, inland marine liability, cargo.
• Support in the preparation of general terms of insurance and special cover concepts.
• Support in any claims and claim handling

Consultation for the cruise industry (ocean and river cruises and expedition cruises)

• Charter and supply contracts
• Contracts for hotel services and power supply on board
• Preparation and inspection of general terms of business
• Data protection and data security
• Travel law
• Defence of fines and arrest of ships
• Employment law (MLC).
• Statutory and regulatory requirements (IMO and EU regulations) on the subject of environment protection and sustainability (emissions and waste disposal) and their implementation in the design of contracts

Yachts (especially large and mega yachts)

• Consultation for clients such as yacht owners, project managers, shipyards, suppliers and yacht designers in relation to:
• The selection of the right legal form for their ownership company
• Construction, yacht design, insurance and finance contracts
• Handling of claims and warranty rights
• Management and crewing
• We support yacht insurers with consultation on their terms and conditions and the handling of large-scale claims

Employment law

• Collective and individual employment law
• Negotiation with land-based works councils and seafarers' committees
• Consultation on reconciliation of interest, redundancy schemes and collective agreements
• Consultation on transfers of business ownership

Dispute Resolution

• Representation in court proceedings and out-of-court disputes
• Representation in national and international arbitration proceedings (e.g. with arbitration institutions such as the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) or the German Maritime Arbitration Association (GMAA))
• Arbitrator in arbitration proceedings
• Mediation

Sustainability in the maritime economy

The subject of sustainability has seen a highly dynamic development over the last few years. This also applies to the maritime industry, which is one of the greatest sources of CO2 emissions. Companies which take an early stance in the areas of the environment, social topics and governance (ESG) have a strategic advantage.

We provide consulting services in the following areas:

• Preparation of ESG-compliant due diligence
• Consultation on the subject of sustainable finance (e.g. with Green Bonds)
• Construction of off-shore wind farms

Digitalisation

• Drafting and inspection of all kinds of IT contracts
• Consultation on the implementation of the statutory requirements for IT security within the business company and legal support in the event of any crisis
• Consultation on ensuring data protection in all business processes, achieving and maintaining compliance with GDPR, questions about compliance in data protection and the appointment of data protection representatives
• Compliance checks for websites
• Consultation on all questions in relation to domain law
• Consultation in the preparation and inspection of contracts for on-line marketing activities

Compliance

• Checking the client's own compliance provisions and those of third parties
• Checking for prohibited price fixing
• Checking for illegal employment,
• Posting of Workers Act (AEntG)
• Compliance with transparency and
• Money laundering regulations
• Checking for possible prohibited benefits granted to employees and third parties
• Checking for breach of trust, fraud and corruption
• Compliance check for the website