Strategic commercial advice
Our team has extensive experience in the shipping and maritime industry, as well as specialising in advising ports and harbours.
The team advises on the full range of services across the sector with the benefit of specialist legal, industry and local knowledge. Our offices in Inverness, Thurso, Glasgow and Edinburgh place us close to the major centres of activity in the sector around Scotland.
Shipping
We have a proven track record of advising clients in the shipping and marine sector, placing our clients’ business needs and commercial interests at the heart of our advice and supporting all their offshore operations.
From advising on the purchase, sale, chartering and financing of vessels, through warranty and collision claims, to advising clients with maritime tourism matters, our experience spans the industry.
Ports & harbours
Scotland’s ports and harbours are gearing up to be the operation and maintenance bases for marine renewables, as well as supporting the oil & gas industry. We provide the full range of strategic commercial advice required by the modern port business.
We have advised on everything from the purchase of a harbour to the major infrastructure projects transforming a harbour into a key operations and maintenance base. The team also has experience in working in the UK and overseas with both marine installations designers and contractors, and the car ferry operators that use such facilities. This has given us an all round perspective on the objectives, essentials and required processes for successful marine infrastructure.
In early 2018 our team completed a $115m grain terminal transhipment project in South Australia for Sea Transport Corporation.
Contact us
Thank you for your enquiry. Someone from our team will be in touch with you in due course.
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Steven Brown
Partner
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Ken Ross
Partner
Our services include:
Shipping
- Commercial shipping
- Ferries
- Purchase, sale, charter and financing of vessels
- Yachts, pleasure cruisers & general maritime tourism
Ports & harbours
- Acquisitions
- Commercial contracts
- Infrastructure & Projects
- Offshore energy
- Property
- Regulatory
- Supply chain infrastructure
Work examples
Harbour developments
We are legal advisers to Wick Harbour Authority, supporting its ambitious plans to become a key Operation & Maintenance base for offshore windfarms in the Moray Firth. We provide strategic commercial advice on property and infrastructure developments at the harbour. We also acted on behalf of the trustees of a harbour in the north of Scotland on infrastructure contracts relating to the extension for a new ferry service including engineering, property and procurement aspects. The infrastructure included a new berthing dolphin, passenger access system and traffic management system.
Port supply chain
We advised on the merger of several businesses in the port services supply chain in the North of Scotland. Our team of Highlands’ based corporate lawyers used their deep understanding of the client’s business to conclude the deal within very short timescales.
We have undertaken MBOs, mergers, acquisitions and sales for: one of the largest groups in the UK to provide supports services to the marine and offshore industry; an enterprise resourcing planning, payroll software, and ferry ticketing and reservation software solutions business; port side and logistic service businesses
Purchase/lease of vessels
We have advised clients ranging from small fishing vessel owners to multinational corporations boasting a fleet of offshore support vessels, in relation to purchases, leases and securitisation. We have advised on the purchase and chartering of fishing vessels, dealing with the senior and subordinated loan documentation funding the purchases and the security granted to support funding.
Contracts to install harbour linkspans
We have advised on turnkey and joint venture contracts for harbour linkspan installations and associated civils at ports of Dublin, Dieppe, Portsmouth, Jersey, Singapore, Gills Bay and elsewhere.
Ferries
We provided advice supporting the establishment of a new ferry route including design and build of a new vessel, leasing an existing vessel and ticketing, marketing, terminal operation and harbour management arrangements.
construction of RORO terminals, the design, build and introduction of new vessels, capital raising through public issues and the completion of operating agreements. We also advised a ferry operator in relation to the newbuilding of a large car ferry, built in the Philippines, and contracts with ship designers.
Meet the shipping, ports & harbours team
Why choose us?
You don't need a lawyer - not many law firms will tell you that. What you need is someone to provide a solution, and our advisors are dedicated and flexible enough to do just that.
Personal legal services
With one of Scotland's largest teams dealing with personal legal matters, we have specialist knowledge for every stage of your life - from buying a house to protecting your assets.
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