The Legal 500

Allen & Overy LLP’s two lead transport partners are Filip Tanghe and Werner Eyskens. Project finance for port ventures is one practice specialty, with refinancing a factor in 2009, as well as work for land reclamation experts Dredging International. The team’s wider transport infrastructure practice should not be ignored either; highlights included carriage of goods claim for precious metals for a major London-based investment bank. PPP work also features strongly.

Peter Van de Vijver and Ingrid Van Clemen at Ambos NBGO receives great personal recognition; clients say ‘they look for practical solutions so long proceedings can be avoided’, and that the team ‘can be reached 24/7 which is very useful in shipping’; they also single out the firm’s presence in Ghent, Zebrugge and Antwerp. Work highlights included working with the Port Authority of Ghent and Arcelor Mittal. The firm also assisted Concordia in developing a new product for the transport and logistics insurance market.

Fransen Advocaten acts for owners, carriers and P&I clubs, with links to London shipping firms such as Holman Fenwick Willan LLP. The four-partner firm, based in Antwerp, acts for large Belgian shipping companies, for whom Wim Fransen is in demand as an arbitrator; he is also recognised for a busy maritime litigation caseload. Road and rail instructions are also regularly received. The firm regularly advises the Belgian Ministries of Justice and Transport; all forms of transport law are handled, including casualty work.

Roosendaal Keyzer has a strong commercial bent, as ‘it gives excellent service’, dealing with all matters maritime, including cargo claims, shipping insurance matters, and customs. The firm’s two best known names are Frank Roosendaal and Luc Keyzer; senior associate Frank Stevens is recommended as being ‘very thorough’. Litigation work is also undertaken.

DLA Piper’s transport team is an example of a good multi-modal legal practice. It advises several major shipping lines on ship agency contracts across European jurisdictions, and on warehousing and distribution agreements for logistics services providers and their clients. Koen de Maeyer remains its best-known lawyer.

Kegels & Co Advocaten, based in Antwerp, specialises in commercial law with ship finance running alongside maritime M&A transactions, but also commercial agency and distribution contracts, acting for a range of clients, ranging from owners, insurers and charterers. Feedback singles out Andre Kegels and Tony Kegels as ‘excellent lawyers’.

Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick is well placed to advise on all aspects of logistics, and transport law; the team acts for DHL on liability, regulatory, commercial and contractual issues, dovetailing well with the aviation side. Marc Godfroid is recommended.

Lydian offers the experience of John Stoop as senior counsel in the shipping team, where, together with Yves Lenders, he works on a variety of mandates for the ports and logistics team. Clients include DB Netz and Nova Natie Group. Axel Craeybeckx left the practice.

Verhaegen Walravens’ transport and logistics practice has a strong international flavour; it represents a UK transport company before the Belgian courts on breach of contract and indemnification issues, and handled a €1m P&I Club litigation against a Belgian insurer. Philip Walravens is recommended.

A-Law International Law Firm’s strong bench of international practitioners are well placed to assist with multijurisdictional aspects of EU and Belgian customs and trade law, carriage of goods issues and logistics litigation. Patricia Leers and Dirk De Beule are recommended.

NautaDutilh’s Yvette Verleisdonk and Didier de Vliegher are known for ship financing, lease, sale & purchase work, working closely with their Amsterdam colleagues. Clients include RollDock, Seatrade, Smit Internationale and Van Weelde Shipping Group.

Stibbe’s clients include the Antwerp Port Authority, where the team assist on construction issues, and NMBS, the national railway operator, on the acquisition of 200 new trains for the Brussels region. Frederik Vandendriessche is the lead contact.

Bruges-based partner Clive Van Aerde is well recognised for his work at Van Aerde & Partners, which includes a diet of ship arrests, cargo claims, litigation and insurance work across all of Belgium’s principal ports.

Wijffels De Paep handles both wet and dry shipping work, as well as general transport and insurance matters. Luc Wijffels is the best-known contact following the retirement of Rudiger De Paep.