Maritime Contracts and Casualties
Our speciality is merchant shipping law which usually falls into the two areas of maritime contractual law ("dry") and advice on maritime cases of damage and general averages accidents ("wet"). In both areas we have advised German and overseas shipping companies, operators of shipping lines and time charters.
In the area of maritime contractual law we advise our clients on the drafting, implementation and handling of all necessary contracts including for financing, the purchase of ships, their deployment and their disposal. These are:
- shipbuilding contracts
- ship sale and purchase contracts
- ship financing contracts
- management and charter contracts
- bareboat charters, time charters, voyage charters and slot charters
- repair and reconstruction contracts
- cooperation, pool and quantities contracts
- scrap agreements
In the area of cases of damage and general averages, what is crucial is the handling of the legal consequences of shipping accidents, collisions, groundings, ships sinking and losses at sea. Technical advances in particular navigation technology have made shipping much safer in the last ten years. On the other hand, the size of the ships and their value as well as the value of shipped goods, have continually increased. This and increased complexities in the branch have led to accidents and general averages having more risks which in turn require more complex handling. We are often instructed by shipping companies and ship insurers to deal with such shipping accidents and general averages.
Our expertise in this area includes in particular:
- collisions
- salvage of ships, wrecks and cargo
- general averages
- proceedings for the limitation of liability
- environmental consequences of hipping accidents