Widely acknowledged by peers as a shipping firm at the height of its powers, HFW assists clients with wet shipping matters including collisions, grounding and salvage, as well as dry shipping matters such as charterparty, compliance and contractual work. This holistic practice is spearheaded by the highly experienced Christopher Chan – an executive committee member of the Hong Kong Maritime Law Association; he is well-supported by Patrick Yeung, who advises on transactional matters and dispute resolution, while Henry Fung, Henry Dunlop and Patrick Cheung are other key names at the firm. Angie Lo has a growing list of clients and is a building a strong reputation in the market.

With Ince having provided legal assistance to shipping businesses for 150 years, the sea runs in the veins of the firm. Today, the shipping practice continues to act on some of the most complex disputes under the leadership of seasoned practitioner David Beaves and Paul Ho. Beaves and Ho are able to call on a strong bench of partners, including ‘key player’ Max Cross and Rosita Lau, who has an extensive list of shipping company and insurance clients, and Ruaridh Guy, a litigator who also has charterparty expertise. Richard Oakley is a master mariner and his experience serving at sea for nine years deepens his understanding of clients’ needs.

Clyde & Co LLP have long been a leader in the shipping field. The firm continues to offer a comprehensive shipping law service in China, which includes handling both contentious and non-contentious matters. Its lawyers are well regarded for their experience and ‘in-depth knowledge‘. Matthew Lam, with his particular specialism in marine casualty cases, leads on complex litigation and arbitration in Hong Kong. Fei Kwok is a specialist in maritime financing and represents a number of Chinese state-backed companies. Senior associate Rita Hung focuses on contentious marine matters. Clients note that Hung and Michael Ng ‘excel in shipping litigation‘. Anthony Woo departed the firm in May 2022 for Hauzen LLP.

Handling an array of shipping finance and litigation matters with a global scope, CMS Hong Kong continues to gain traction in the market. The team has considerable experience in arbitration and is led by shipping litigators Andrew Horton and Steven Wise. Elliot Woodruff recently arrived from Ince as a consultant. Helen Tang, who specialises in disputes arising from bills of lading, charterparties and international trading and ship management contracts, is one of the firm’s rising stars. The team demonstrates particular expertise in liquidation matters and ship arrests.

The Reed Smith LLP shipping practice often handles very sensitive disputes for an array of industrial shipping clients. The practice is characterised by the ‘professionalism’ and ‘dedication’ of its lawyers. Its team is jointly led by Peter Lee, who has a well-established non-contentious practice, and former mariner Lianjun Li, who advises on high-level shipping litigation. The latter is highly regarded by clients for his ‘deep understanding of the industry and unrivalled knowledge of the intricacies of shipping disputes‘. Min Li, noted for ‘his ability to look tactically at the big picture’, and Tat Pan are also names to note, as is qualified master mariner Peter Glover.

Tang & Co, led by Chong Jun Tang, works in association with Helmsman LLC and provides representation on complex shipping disputes for clients in Hong Kong as well as those as far afield as the UK and Greece. The practice advises on defaults and debt recovery in the shipping sector and further contentious matters including sale and purchase disputes.