As offshore operations and the related offshore assets and marine equipment become more complex and move or operate further out to sea, our offshore legal team guides clients through the various risks and liabilities to be considered for each project. In oil and gas, this may be exploration, drilling, or production-related, along with the supporting assets and services; for an offshore wind project, it may involve installation, commissioning, maintenance, and the related services required. We advise clients on building, chartering, service contracting, management, selling or decommissioning an asset, litigation issues, restructuring, debt financing, and sale-and-leaseback arrangements.
Our work includes advising on relevant regulatory aspects, for example, on Jones Act requirements in the United States.
We have extensive experience advising on charterparties, including time charterparties, for the full range of offshore assets, including installation vessels, jack-up vessels, walk-to-work vessels, service operation vessels, crew transfer vessels, and similar. Our team has experience advising on client templates and LOGIC-style agreements in the offshore space, as well as BIMCO standard templates, including SUPPLYTIME and WINDTIME. Notably, our shipping team is on the BIMCO drafting committee currently creating a standard offshore wind charterparty, “WINDSEACON,” for the market.
The team’s caseload includes contractual matters, covering all types of charterparty disputes; cargo claims; shipbuilding, conversion, and repair disputes, as well as many other contentious matters that relate to the offshore shipping industry. We frequently represent clients in High Court proceedings and also arbitrations, including LMAA, LCIA, ICA, and other ad hoc arbitration and mediation procedures.
