Marine

Overview

Australia relies on sea transport for 99% of commodities entering and leaving the country and for a substantial proportion of domestic freight.

Marine law is a highly specialised and unique field that requires genuinely expert knowledge. Our Marine Law team has spent 40 years developing this niche expertise and our market-leading reputation. We are trusted by ship owners and their protection and indemnity organisations (P&I Clubs), exporters and importers, stevedores, freight forwarders, commodity traders, agents, brokers, charterers and some of Australia’s largest transport, logistics and infrastructure organisations. 

We advise marine and general insurers in the Australian market, including international insurers, and provide incisive, accurate, industry-informed advice.

We service all areas of transport law and marine claims, including policy drafting, indemnity disputes, cargo recoveries, hull and machinery claims, carriers’ liability claims, and subrogated recovery actions against air and sea carriers.

We have vast experience dealing with Australian national marine laws and the range of international conventions that apply to maritime activity. Our team are expert in all forms of dispute resolution. 

Our team’s experience spans advising on indemnity, recovery, dispute resolution and policy interpretation and drafting across product lines, including:  

• cargo
• carrier liability, including road carriers
• defence
• hull
• marine liability 
• P&I
• reinsurance.

Our experience goes beyond insurance-related work, as we also have a proven track record of achieving stellar outcomes in: 

• business acquisitions, restructures, mergers and joint ventures
• commercial contracting, including stevedoring, port access, towage, warehousing, distribution, intermodal facilities, technology, telecommunications, security and supply arrangements
• corporate governance
• construction and major projects
• employment, industrial relations and work health and safety with an emphasis on safety management systems, and defending safety prosecutions
• major incident management, including maritime groundings, collisions and oil spills
• marine pollution
• regulatory compliance across all transport modes
• restructuring, insolvency and debt recovery
• risk management, especially for port operators
• salvage and wreck removal
• trade and commodity disputes, and
• property leases of bulk liquids facilities, container terminals and passenger terminals.

Australia is committed to ensuring a sustainable, equitable and ethical global maritime industry and strives for a domestic regulatory regime that is risk-based, relevant and practical. Our team shares this goal in the acuity of its advice – it is always risk-based, relevant and practical. 

Our Marine Law team is consistently ranked among the best in respected guides, Chambers and Partners, Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal and Best Lawyers in Australia.