Shipping

At Haynes Boone, we’re proud to have strong, longstanding relationships with our clients that enable us to provide them with practical advice that really works for their businesses. We have a deep understanding of the shipping industry, because we’ve worked in it – many of our lawyers have either experience at sea, including as captain of a ship, or have worked in-house at large shipping companies.

Shipowners, shipyards, financiers and insurers turn to us to advise them on the entire lifecycle of ships and offshore units. We handle ownership structures and contracts for the construction, chartering and employment, financing (including sale and lease back arrangements – acting for both lessor and lessee), sale and purchase, and decommissioning and recycling of ships and other maritime assets. We work in all of the major shipbuilding sectors, ranging from small tugs and supply vessels to the largest and most advanced commercial vessels, including LNGCs, FPSOs, passenger ferries, cruise ships, drilling rigs and jack-up wind turbine installation vessels.

With particular and extensive experience in shipbuilding and conversion, our transactional and dispute resolution teams work closely together both before and after the shipbuilding or conversion contract has been concluded. Clients look to us for support through the project’s completion and beyond, to resolve any disputes that may arise over cost overruns and delays, or defects discovered before or after delivery. Much of our work involves newbuilding and conversion projects in the major shipbuilding and conversion jurisdictions, including across Europe and Asia. We also advise on a range of other high-value, technically complex maritime and energy-related projects including FSRUs. Finally, our intellectual property group with more than 100 registered patent attorneys have assisted our clients in securing patents and protecting their proprietary shipping technology, ranging from ship design to ship propulsion to marine and offshore alternative fuels technology, including LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, carbon capture, and offshore power production.

Clients appreciate the legal and practical experience we bring to all stages of their involvement in a vessel. They also know they can expect the highest level of client service from us. That’s why they choose us and remain with us over the long term.

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Fiona Cain in ICLG: U.K. Supreme Court Clarifies "Reasonable Endeavours" Interpretation
May 15, 2024

Haynes and Boone, LLP Counsel Fiona Cain was quoted in an International Comparative Legal Guides publication after the U.K. Supreme Court issued a unanimous judgment in the case of RTI v MUR Shipping, clarifying the interpretation of “reasonable endeavours” provisions within force majeure clauses in commercial contracts. The decision centres on whether a party invoking force majeure can be compell [...]