Fielding a dedicated ship finance team from its Washington DC, New York and Houston offices, Blank Rome LLP‘s broad maritime client base includes shipyards, owners, operators, cargo interests, lenders and investors. The firm’s US maritime practice has an enviable market reputation for structuring ship finance transactions involving foreign investment in the Jones Act trade, as well as ship financings registered under the laws of Liberia and the Marshall Islands. It is also experienced in vessel finance, construction, sale, purchase and chartering mandates, and routinely represents debtors and creditors in maritime restructuring and bankruptcy matters. Practice head and the firm’s lead ship finance and transaction practitioner Anthony Salgado stands out for his knowledge of Jones Act citizenship issues (and related laws administered by the Coast Guard and Maritime Administration) and their impact on US ship financings and transactions, and Douglas Shoemaker in Houston focuses on complex maritime transactions and litigation. Providing key support at senior associate level, Natalie Radabaugh‘s workload is concentrated on maritime transactions, corporate governance issues and ship financing matters. All advisers mentioned are based in Washington DC, unless otherwise stated.

Operating one of the broadest maritime transactional practices in the US, Jones Walker LLP‘s sizeable team represents public and private companies in a vast range of domestic and international financings, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Recent work includes representing both debtors and lenders in substantial debtor-in-possession and exit financings, rights offerings, and debt-for-equity swaps. The firm’s attorneys are also routinely sought out to advise on complex domestic and international ocean and inland vessel acquisitions, National Vessel Documentation Center registrations, and the flagging of vessels in registries across the world. The track record of maritime transactions team head William C. Baldwin (who also co-leads the firm’s offshore wind initiative alongside Houston-based Cindy Matherne Muller) includes leading multiple marine financings for new, purpose-built offshore wind vessels. Kelly Duncan has significant experience in admiralty, maritime, and international and customs law work, while James Kearns in the Washington DC office focuses on maritime transactions, and the practice’s key associate Christopher Ulfers advises both borrowers and lenders on marine finance matters. All advisers named are based in the firm’s New Orleans office, unless otherwise stated.

Housing a ‘strong New York-based team that is respected in the market‘, Watson Farley & Williams (New York) LLP covers a broad range of of shipping finance transactions, including capital markets and private equity deals. Other areas of strength range from restructurings and insolvencies, to sanctions and tax advice. The team also advises owners, shipbuilders, potential investors, lenders and operators on Jones Act issues, with expertise further extending to matters involving Marshall Islands and Liberian corporate and maritime law, as well as Vanuatu maritime law work. Senior partner George Paleokrassas acts for major shipping lenders and shipowners on the structuring and restructuring of loan and leasing transactions, while Daniel Rodgers is particularly focused on shipping and offshore industry-related matters. Christopher Belisle advises on lease financings and asset-based loan facilities, Steven Hollander regularly advises on entities formed in Liberia and the Marshall Islands, and John Benson assists with cross-border asset-backed structured transactions and joint ventures. Additional key practitioners include Will Vogel, who is an expert in representing public maritime sector companies in US corporate and securities matters, as well as experienced counsels C J Chido and Maxi Adamski-De Visser.

Well known for its representation of banks, investors and shipping companies in international shipping deals, Holland & Knight LLP‘s practice is increasingly mandated by governmental finance support entities and underwriters for significant capital markets and private equity transactions. The firm’s specialists also advise foreign and US lending institutions and borrowers on Jones Act-compliant domestic financings, and provide representation in US, Marshall Islands and Liberia-related tax issues. Other key areas span lender-side shipping group restructurings, workouts and Chapter 11 insolvencies, as well as handling corporate acquisitions for strategic investors. Heading up the firm’s ship finance practice, Jovi Tenev has notable experience in advising banks and other financiers and companies on an array of shipping, offshore and finance work, and the workload of asset and infrastructure finance expert Richard Furey covers maritime sector mandates. In Washington DC, Gerald Morrissey III is a specialist in the financing of maritime-related companies. All practitioners mentioned work from the firm’s New York office, unless otherwise stated.

As an integral part of the worldwide shipping team, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s US shipping practice handles a vast range of shipping-related mandates, from complex structured financings, leasing deals and litigation, to major sale and purchase transactions, charter-party negotiations and cargo claims. The client list traditionally comprises US and foreign banks that are highly active in international shipping transactions, but the group increasingly represents funds, governmental finance support entities and issuers in capital markets deals. The shipping finance team is additionally able to leverage the firm’s full-service practices in tax, litigation and regulatory work. US head of transport Brian Devine, who is qualified to practice Marshall Islands law, is well known for his advice to both financial institutions and borrowers on maritime-related assets. Additional key practitioners include counsel Kassandra Savicki and senior associate Nicholas Santangelo, who both specialise in maritime and international finance work. All advisers listed are based in the firm’s New York office.

Fielding ‘very responsive and diligent advisers‘, Seward & Kissel LLP‘s New York-based maritime practice advises major public and private maritime companies and financial institutions on banking, finance and capital markets work. The department’s corporate and transactional expertise covers initial structuring, formation and seed financing, along with capital raising transactions in the US and overseas. Clients additionally benefit from the team’s specialisms in M&A, private equity, tax, litigation and regulatory issues, and restructuring and insolvency mandates. Heading up the firm’s maritime and transportation finance group, Mike Timpone is highly focused on the representation of US and non-US banks and other institutional lenders in secured loans and other financing deals, in addition to acting for shipowners as borrowers in such transactions. Also integral to the group are Keith Billotti, whose practice involves advising domestic and foreign maritime industry clients on corporate and US securities law, and corporate securities law expert Edward Horton. Additional key partner Hoyoon Nam advises on complex financings, while counsel Kurt Plankl and senior associate Sophia Agathis are also active team members.

As ‘one of the go-to firms in the industry‘, Vedder Price‘s global transportation finance team regularly acts for lenders, borrowers, lessors, lessees, shipbuilders, marine terminal operators, owners and charterers on structuring major maritime and offshore finance deals. The group advises on a broad range of maritime and offshore assets, including cargo and passenger transportation vessels, intermodal containers, chassis, barges, terminal facilities, ferries, and offshore construction and oil exploration vessels. It also has extensive experience in workouts and restructurings, and is additionally sought out for its expertise in maritime and offshore construction contracts, and ship registration and mortgage recordation laws in the US, the Marshall Islands, Liberia and Vanuatu. In New York, John Bradley is a specialist in cross-border marine finance structures, the ‘responsive and experienced‘ John Imhof Jr is experienced in a range of financings, and associate John Geager consistently advises on large-scale vessel financings and refinancings. Geoffrey Kass chairs the firm’s global transportation finance group from the Chicago office.

In addition to its track record in successfully representing creditors and bondholders in distressed shipping restructurings, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP‘s New York-based maritime law and shipping industry practice advises on major corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures and securities offerings. The team has recently been particularly active in shipping industry deals involving restructurings, financing and M&A matters. Consistently mandated by public companies, hedge funds, private equity houses and investment banks, co-chair of the firm’s corporate practice Richard Brand maintains an active shipping transactions practice, and complex business reorganization specialist Gregory Petrick, who works across the London and New York offices, is the firm’s financial restructuring group chair. In July 2022, Joshua Apfelroth exited the firm for Proskauer Rose LLP.